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Very lengthy article.
March 25 2023 rbbm
By Kyani Reid
www.nbcnews.com
Lori Leonard remembers vividly seeing a police car parked outside of her classroom window. Although it was 50 years ago, it’s a day she’ll never forget.
“One of my classmates tapped me. He said, ‘Leonardo, ha, ha, hey, hey, the cops are going to take you away,’” Lori Leonard told Dateline. “He was joking, but it haunts me to this day. Little did he know how true that was.”
It was February 23, 1973. 15-year-old twins Debra and Lori Leonard were in the middle of their school day at Pocono Central Catholic School in Cresco, Pennsylvania.
Debra and Lori Leonard.Debra and Lori Leonard
“They said, ‘Debbie, pack up your things and go with the principal,’” Debra Leonard recalled. “I did, and she said, ‘Go down to the Spanish class and get your sister.’”
Debra said the siblings arrived at the principal’s office, where their younger brother was already waiting. “Timmy was sitting there, and I said, ‘What’s going on?’”
There had been a terrible accident. Their mother, Madeleine Leonard, had been found dead -- just three years after the murder of their father...
John and Madeleine Leonard raised their five children in Cresco. “It was a nice community,” Debra told Dateline. “Everybody knew everybody — everybody watched out for everyone.” Lori agreed. “We used to go to the movies. We roller skated every Friday night,” she said. “We loved it.”
''The attic apartment was located above a bar owned by family friends — Ann and Don Mick. “The Micks owned a garage, a gas station, the bar, and a taxi service,” Debra told Dateline. “Our dad did everything there. He was a mechanic, he was a bartender, a taxi driver — you name it,” Lori added.
And that’s exactly what he was doing the night he died...
''According to Det. Vanlouvender, at approximately 3:45 p.m., John was found dead in the front seat of the 1966 black Plymouth 4 door sedan that served as a taxicab -- it was parked in the driveway of the lodge.
Investigators believe when John was “driving up the driveway, he was approached by a white male, approximately 25-30 years of age, wearing dark rim glasses, a bright blue sports coat and carrying a white paper bag” and that the “suspect discharged 5 rounds from a 22-caliber weapon, most likely a revolver due to a lack of shell casings -- through the open driver’s side window,” the detective wrote.''
The twins, who were now 15 years old, said their mother, Madeleine, worked as a waitress at a diner in Scranton — which is where she was on the night of February 22, 1973.
After finishing her shift, Madeleine called home at around 10 p.m. “She said, ‘I have a tip on your dad. I’m going to Mount Pocono to check it out and then I’ll be home,’” Debra told Dateline. “I was like, ‘No, you can’t go by yourself.’”
But Madeleine went anyway. She did not return home that night.
Madeleine Leonard
According to Det. Vanlouvender, 48-year-old Madeleine Leonard “was discovered deceased as the result of a motor vehicle crash on February 22, 1973.” He wrote that “the crash occurred on SR 940 in Mt. Pocono Borough, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.”
The sisters told Dateline they were initially told there was a connection between their parents deaths. “Chief Hartman -- now deceased-- came to our house and told us. He said she was run off the road,” Lori said. “He said — ‘It is definitely tied to your dad’s murder,’” Debra added.''
March 25 2023 rbbm
By Kyani Reid
52-year-old John Leonard was murdered on September 8, 1970, in Barrett Township, Pennsylvania. Three years later, his estranged wife, Madeleine Leonard, was found dead. Their daughters believe the deaths are connected. The Monroe County District Atto
52-year-old John Leonard was murdered in 1970. Three years later, his estranged wife, Madeleine, was found dead while investigating his murder on her own.
www.nbcnews.com
Lori Leonard remembers vividly seeing a police car parked outside of her classroom window. Although it was 50 years ago, it’s a day she’ll never forget.
“One of my classmates tapped me. He said, ‘Leonardo, ha, ha, hey, hey, the cops are going to take you away,’” Lori Leonard told Dateline. “He was joking, but it haunts me to this day. Little did he know how true that was.”
It was February 23, 1973. 15-year-old twins Debra and Lori Leonard were in the middle of their school day at Pocono Central Catholic School in Cresco, Pennsylvania.
“They said, ‘Debbie, pack up your things and go with the principal,’” Debra Leonard recalled. “I did, and she said, ‘Go down to the Spanish class and get your sister.’”
Debra said the siblings arrived at the principal’s office, where their younger brother was already waiting. “Timmy was sitting there, and I said, ‘What’s going on?’”
There had been a terrible accident. Their mother, Madeleine Leonard, had been found dead -- just three years after the murder of their father...
John and Madeleine Leonard raised their five children in Cresco. “It was a nice community,” Debra told Dateline. “Everybody knew everybody — everybody watched out for everyone.” Lori agreed. “We used to go to the movies. We roller skated every Friday night,” she said. “We loved it.”
''The attic apartment was located above a bar owned by family friends — Ann and Don Mick. “The Micks owned a garage, a gas station, the bar, and a taxi service,” Debra told Dateline. “Our dad did everything there. He was a mechanic, he was a bartender, a taxi driver — you name it,” Lori added.
And that’s exactly what he was doing the night he died...
The Murder of John Leonard
''According to Det. Vanlouvender, at approximately 3:45 p.m., John was found dead in the front seat of the 1966 black Plymouth 4 door sedan that served as a taxicab -- it was parked in the driveway of the lodge.
Investigators believe when John was “driving up the driveway, he was approached by a white male, approximately 25-30 years of age, wearing dark rim glasses, a bright blue sports coat and carrying a white paper bag” and that the “suspect discharged 5 rounds from a 22-caliber weapon, most likely a revolver due to a lack of shell casings -- through the open driver’s side window,” the detective wrote.''
The twins, who were now 15 years old, said their mother, Madeleine, worked as a waitress at a diner in Scranton — which is where she was on the night of February 22, 1973.
After finishing her shift, Madeleine called home at around 10 p.m. “She said, ‘I have a tip on your dad. I’m going to Mount Pocono to check it out and then I’ll be home,’” Debra told Dateline. “I was like, ‘No, you can’t go by yourself.’”
But Madeleine went anyway. She did not return home that night.
Madeleine Leonard
According to Det. Vanlouvender, 48-year-old Madeleine Leonard “was discovered deceased as the result of a motor vehicle crash on February 22, 1973.” He wrote that “the crash occurred on SR 940 in Mt. Pocono Borough, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.”
The sisters told Dateline they were initially told there was a connection between their parents deaths. “Chief Hartman -- now deceased-- came to our house and told us. He said she was run off the road,” Lori said. “He said — ‘It is definitely tied to your dad’s murder,’” Debra added.''
