Slush Pile: Fatal fall a stunt gone wrong

2006 Slush Pile

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Fatal fall a stunt gone wrong

2006 Reader Submission
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Fatal fall a stunt gone wrong

BY MATTHEW KEMENY STAFF WRITER 03/01/2006Email to a friendPrinter-friendly A Scranton native told police he was helping his fiancee touch a window with her feet when she slipped from his grasp and plummeted 23 stories to her death from his Harrisburg apartment, according to court papers.

Kevin Eckenrode, 25, and Rachel Kozlusky, 23, of Scranton, formerly of Saylorsburg, had been drinking Friday night and Saturday in celebration of their engagement, police said.

Authorities said Mr. Eckenrode dangled Ms. Kozlusky outside his window at Pennsylvania Place, 301 Chestnut St., before she fell just after 7 p.m. Saturday.

�Witness information indicates that at 5:30 that evening ... he had asked her to marry him, and they were talking about going ring shopping,� said Randy King, a spokesman for the city�s police department.

Mr. Eckenrode was charged with criminal homicide and sent to Dauphin County Prison without bail.

Mr. Eckenrode told detectives he and Ms. Kozlusky were �drinking heavily,� when she told him she wanted to sit on the window ledge, according to an affidavit.

Mr. Eckenrode helped her take the screen out of the sliding-glass window. She told Mr. Eckenrode she wanted to touch her feet to the apartment window below, police said.

She tried to touch it on her own but was unsuccessful, police said. Mr. Eckenrode then grabbed her by the armpits and lowered her outside the window, according to the affidavit. She then slipped from his hands and fell, police said.

Investigators are baffled by the couple�s bizarre behavior.

�Alcohol and youth are a dangerous mix,� Mr. King said.

The 25-story apartment complex is one of the tallest buildings in the state�s capital. Police said Ms. Kozlusky fell through a plastic skylight in the building�s portico � at least a four-second drop. She was pronounced dead about 7:30 p.m. from massive head and internal injuries.

A man walking into the building saw her on the ground and called 911, Mr. King said. Responders found her wearing panties and a shirt, according to the affidavit.

Detective Donald Heffner said he met Mr. Eckenrode at the front door of the building, near the spot where Ms. Kozlusky landed.

Mr. Eckenrode admitted to Detective Heffner he had been drinking all day, police said.

Authorities then searched his apartment and allegedly found two empty wine bottles, numerous empty beer cans and a marijuana pipe.

Ms. Kozlusky graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in Brodheadsville in 2000 and Marywood University in 2005. She was working for Entercom Pocono Northeast in Pittston at the time of her death.

A 1999 graduate of Bishop Hannan High School, Mr. Eckenrode had moved to Harrisburg about a month ago to take a job as a press aide for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. He�s a graduate of Penn State University�s College of Communications.

Mr. Eckenrode�s attorney William Costopoulos said he met with his client Sunday night at the jail. Although he wouldn�t disclose details of their conversation, he said Mr. Eckenrode was �extremely distraught� and �overwhelmed by what he had just been through.� Mr. Costopoulos said he�s convinced his client did not intentionally drop his fiancee.

�Ultimately the question becomes, how negligent was the victim in bringing about her own death and was Kevin Eckenrode negligent,� he said.

Ms. Kozlusky�s obituary is on Page B8

Contact the writer: mkemeny@timesshamrock.com

�The Times-Tribune 2006

Submitted on 03/01/2006

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: The Times Tribune 3/1/06

>> Moderator Scores <<

James said:
Neutral: For Darwin's Eyes
There may be more info/detail on an unfolding story here. Passing it on to Darwin...

Jorge said:
Definitely Toss: Repeat

Sheryl said:
Maybe Toss: Other
I still have doubts on this one. It's all heresay.

Charles said:
Definitely Toss: Repeat
Thank you for submitting this, but I don't see any new information here... and as Sheryl says, it is all hearsay at the moment, and will continue to be.

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2006 Slush Pile

Fatal fall a stunt gone wrong

2006 Reader Submission Pending Acceptance

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2006 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

>> The Darwin Awards, by Wendy Northcutt <<
Link to Fight Evil.