George Geschwendt

Placeholder Biography
George Geschwendt was born September 7, 1951. Growing up, he lived in the Trevose-Feasterville area of Bucks County, a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. He lived across the street from the Abt family.

Murders on Dara Faith Drive
On March 12, 1976, Geschwendt broke into the home of the Abt family on Dara Faith Drive in Trevose, PA. Ostentibly, he was waiting for two of the Abt children, Michael and Clifford. According to Geschwendt, the two boys bullied him, shot at him with a BB gun, and teased his mother for her broken English.

Geschwendt hid behind the piano and waited for his tormentors, but they never arrived home. Instead, he murdered their father, John Abt, 49; their mother, Margaret Abt, 46; their sisters Margie, 19 and Kathy, 13, their brother, John, Jr. 14; and Margie's boyfriend, Garson "Gary" Engle, 20, as they arrived at the house with a shot to the head. He threw each body in the basement of the home to hide each subsequent murder. He gave up his pursuit of Michael, then 21, and Clifford because the phone kept ringing. He left the home, but not before shooting the family's St. Bernard dog, Heidi.

Michael Abt discovered his families' bodies in the basement. He is currently the only surviving member of the Abt family. Clifford died in an accident a year after the murders.

Trial
After his arrest on March 23, 1976, Geschwendt was confined in the county prison in Doylestown, PA. During his trial, his lawyer attempted to use the insanity defense.