Will There Ever Be Justice For Peggy Reber?
Lebanon Pennsylvania is a smallish town in the south east corner of the state. I've visited a couple of times to see friends who live there. It's a nice town. It's known for its locally made sausage called Lebanon Bologna, and for the fact that it's pretty close to Hershey, and the state capital, Harrisburg. It's the kind of town that seems all American, and you can tell it's old. I love towns like that...with lots of history, some history isn't so great, though. But, more about that later. Heck, once I while I was visiting I happened to look over and saw none other than Jack Palance sitting behind the wheel of the car next to us! This is particularly ironic since 14 years later I moved to Tehachapi, California where he owned a ranch and never saw him once. Anyway, since life is a bundle of coincidence I happen to post at a message board with someone who also lives in Lebabnon. His name is Bill and last year he posted a story about a murder that took place in 1968. I was intrigued and started reading up about it...what I read chilled me and I honestly cannot fathom how someone could be so evil as to murder another human being like that.
In 1968 Lebanon was primarily a steel town, like many other towns in PA., and like all towns Lebabnon had its seedy side. Bad things can happen in seedy areas...very bad things. In May of 1968 a 14 year old girl was murdered, and no one was convicted of the crime. On May 26th Margaret Lynn Reber was found murdered by her mother. She had been left alone for the weekend while her mother spent time with a friend in Atlantic City and during that time someone came over and tortured and mutilated young Peggy. She had been beaten about the face so badly she was unrecognizable, bitten all over her body and she even had one of her nipples bitten almost completely off. She was choked nearly to death with a cloth belt, and then sodomized with a bow. The bow had been forced into her so violently that it pierced most of her organs including her heart. The bow was actually protruding from her her chest. I don't think people realize how much force it would take to do that....like I said it's chilling.
Apparently a list of suspects was drawn up and followed up. Peggy's 19 year old boyfriend had an airtight allibi. He was in jail for not paying his wife child support. There were others though. The landlord of the apartments that the Rebers lived in. He had turned off the electricity to get them to move out due to nonpayment of rent. There wasn't any signs of forced entry. Was he so desperate to get rid of them that he would kill a little girl? Peggy's twin sister Cathy's husband? A stranger? Well the person who ultimately went on trial for the slaying was Arthur Root an ex-lover of Peggy's Mother's. He had access and looked similar to the man described to have been at the aprtment building close to the time Peggy was thought to have been killed. He explained that he had indeed been to the apartment that day but only to retrieve some money he had stolen that Peggy's mother was holding for him. He said he went back around six that evening to take a TV that he would use as collateral until he got the stolen money from Peggy's mother Mary. He was aquitted tough because the teeth marks didn't match up to his teeth.No one else was ever investigated.
It's been said that because of the life the victim and her mother lived was one reason no one cared to get to the bottom of the murder. Mrs. Reber was apparently very friendly with many different men, and it was rumored that she and Peggy were prostitutes. Apparently many saw the Rebers as complicit in what happened.Like I said, bad things can happen in seedy areas, but none deserves what happened to that child.
Apparently a Lebanon native who has studied the case is planning on writing a book. From everything I've read she's positive she knows who the killer is but due to his connections he has yet to be charged. According to her when the crime was committed he was a wild 20 something year old and was known to be violent, though she always declines to name the suspect for legal reasons. Apparently now he's in his 60s and is happily married with children and grandchildren. Did this mystery person do it? Did he help Arthur Root? Who did this horrible thing? Will Peggy ever get the justice she deserves? I hope so, I truly hope so.
Why would I write this article about a girl who died four and a half months before I was even born? It's not like I haven't heard about cases similar to this before, but something about this case touched me. Peggy seemed so helpless, and I just can't stand to think that she might never get the justice she deserves. Also, I figure the more people know about cases like this the better, and who knows? Maybe someone who reads this will know something and get in contact with the Lebanon police and help the investigation.
To read more about the case, y sources for this story are the following web sites.
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/articles/16232
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=280092784
http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/?id=4756&IssueNum=76
If you have any information about this case please contact the Lebanon Police Department, or the DA's office.
In 1968 Lebanon was primarily a steel town, like many other towns in PA., and like all towns Lebabnon had its seedy side. Bad things can happen in seedy areas...very bad things. In May of 1968 a 14 year old girl was murdered, and no one was convicted of the crime. On May 26th Margaret Lynn Reber was found murdered by her mother. She had been left alone for the weekend while her mother spent time with a friend in Atlantic City and during that time someone came over and tortured and mutilated young Peggy. She had been beaten about the face so badly she was unrecognizable, bitten all over her body and she even had one of her nipples bitten almost completely off. She was choked nearly to death with a cloth belt, and then sodomized with a bow. The bow had been forced into her so violently that it pierced most of her organs including her heart. The bow was actually protruding from her her chest. I don't think people realize how much force it would take to do that....like I said it's chilling.
Apparently a list of suspects was drawn up and followed up. Peggy's 19 year old boyfriend had an airtight allibi. He was in jail for not paying his wife child support. There were others though. The landlord of the apartments that the Rebers lived in. He had turned off the electricity to get them to move out due to nonpayment of rent. There wasn't any signs of forced entry. Was he so desperate to get rid of them that he would kill a little girl? Peggy's twin sister Cathy's husband? A stranger? Well the person who ultimately went on trial for the slaying was Arthur Root an ex-lover of Peggy's Mother's. He had access and looked similar to the man described to have been at the aprtment building close to the time Peggy was thought to have been killed. He explained that he had indeed been to the apartment that day but only to retrieve some money he had stolen that Peggy's mother was holding for him. He said he went back around six that evening to take a TV that he would use as collateral until he got the stolen money from Peggy's mother Mary. He was aquitted tough because the teeth marks didn't match up to his teeth.No one else was ever investigated.
It's been said that because of the life the victim and her mother lived was one reason no one cared to get to the bottom of the murder. Mrs. Reber was apparently very friendly with many different men, and it was rumored that she and Peggy were prostitutes. Apparently many saw the Rebers as complicit in what happened.Like I said, bad things can happen in seedy areas, but none deserves what happened to that child.
Apparently a Lebanon native who has studied the case is planning on writing a book. From everything I've read she's positive she knows who the killer is but due to his connections he has yet to be charged. According to her when the crime was committed he was a wild 20 something year old and was known to be violent, though she always declines to name the suspect for legal reasons. Apparently now he's in his 60s and is happily married with children and grandchildren. Did this mystery person do it? Did he help Arthur Root? Who did this horrible thing? Will Peggy ever get the justice she deserves? I hope so, I truly hope so.
Why would I write this article about a girl who died four and a half months before I was even born? It's not like I haven't heard about cases similar to this before, but something about this case touched me. Peggy seemed so helpless, and I just can't stand to think that she might never get the justice she deserves. Also, I figure the more people know about cases like this the better, and who knows? Maybe someone who reads this will know something and get in contact with the Lebanon police and help the investigation.
To read more about the case, y sources for this story are the following web sites.
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/articles/16232
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=280092784
http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/?id=4756&IssueNum=76
If you have any information about this case please contact the Lebanon Police Department, or the DA's office.