A man from Pennsylvania could face up to 100 years in prison for violently assaulting a police informant, administering a fatal dose of fentanyl, and disposing of the body by throwing it off a bridge.
Steven Gaddis, 28, admitted guilt on Friday to charges of conspiracy to commit third-degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and witness intimidation in relation to the 2024 death of 25-year-old Matthew Whisman, WHTM reported.
Gaddis, along with the victimâs cousins, Alexander Whisman and Jeremy Absher, was arrested in October. They were accused of killing Whisman due to his intention to assist police in a Maryland shooting investigation from January.
Whisman visited a residence in East Drumore Township, approximately 65 miles from Philadelphia, on April 3, 2024. There, Gaddis accessed his phone and found a message revealing his cooperation with the police, according to court records obtained by the outlet.
Gaddis and the two other men, aged 25 and 17 at that time, aggressively dragged Whisman into a bathroom and severely beat him before allegedly forcing him to shower to erase any evidence.
Afterward, they took Whisman to the basement and provided him with a meal. Gaddis allegedly asked Whisman, âHow would you feel if itâs your last supper?â leading the victim to lower his head and cry, according to court documents.
Gaddis then prepared two syringes filled with fentanyl, and the three men âforced Whisman into a vehicle and injected him with a lethal dose of fentanyl,â according to the Lancaster County District Attorneyâs Office.
Subsequently, they allegedly disposed of Whismanâs body by throwing it off a bridge.
Before committing the crime, police report that all except Gaddis left their phones behind at the residence, according to WHTM.
The state police were alerted of Whismanâs disappearance in July.
During the investigation, a âwitness informed investigators that he knew something âhorribleâ happened to Matthew Whisman and implicated Alexander Whisman, Gaddis, and Absher,â officials stated.
In August, a camp counselor discovered Whismanâs remains on the bank of a creek near a hiking trail in Cecil County, Maryland.
All three suspects faced charges for 11 offenses in October, including murder, kidnapping to facilitate a felony, and witness intimidation.
Absher had escaped to Mayesville, South Carolina, after Whismanâs disappearance but was extradited back to Lancaster County on unrelated charges when charged with the 25-year-oldâs death.
At the time, Alexander Whisman was already detained at Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center, and Gaddis was at Chester County Prison, both on unrelated offenses.
All three men were reportedly heavy drug users, with Gaddis allegedly under the influence of meth at the time of the murder, WHTM reported.
In addition to confessing to Whismanâs murder, Gaddis also admitted guilt on Friday to charges related to a shooting at a house party in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, in the same month he killed Whisman.
He faces a prison term ranging from 43 to 100 years.
Both Absher and Alexander Whisman are awaiting trial. Absher is scheduled to return to court on April 23.
