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The Raven Knocks
True Crime/Missing Persons/Cold Cases- I decided to begin a podcast regarding true crime because I feel like some of the victim's story never gets told due to it being to graphic or not admissible in court. I also think that Justice is lost in some of these cases and it's not right. I hope I can be a voice for the ones who lost theirs and perhaps make this world a slightly better place, and have you thinking more cautiously.
The Raven Knocks
When Incest leads to Murder
What happens when the very people meant to protect us become the source of our deepest fears? This episode peels back the layers of two chilling stories that unravel the dark underbelly of family dynamics. We begin with the haunting narrative of Stephen Pladl and Alyssa, whose volatile relationship began when she was merely 15. We explore the terrifying reality Alyssa faced as Stephen's violent behavior escalated, ultimately forcing her to make an unthinkable decision to protect their daughter, Denise, by placing her up for adoption. As Denise finds refuge in a new family, the shadow of her biological family's troubled past lingers, highlighting the ongoing struggles for Alyssa as she navigates a life marked by fear and instability.
Our journey takes an even darker turn as we uncover the tragic and sensational story of Katie and Stephen Pladl, whose unsettling relationship ends in an unimaginable tragedy. Unbeknownst to Katie, she becomes entwined in a manipulative and abusive situation with her biological father, Stephen, leading to a sequence of horrific events, including multiple murders. These heart-wrenching stories underscore the emotional toll of domestic violence and the critical need for awareness and support. As we close, we underscore the importance of recognizing the signs of toxic relationships and provide resources for those in need, emphasizing that help is available and urging listeners to prioritize safety and well-being.
Hello guys, welcome to the Raven's Knock. I want to say thank you for listening and supporting. There's two ways to support the channel. For one Starbucks a month, you can get access to episodes early, ad-free, and you can get bonus episodes for only $7 a month. If you can't be a premium subscriber, you can still help the show by subscribing and sharing the podcast. Thank you, everyone has them. If you do not agree, then ignore them like an adult and move on. Listener, discretion is strongly advised.
Speaker 1:Hey guys, this story is one that I was going to do as my first episode, but I didn't. This episode is kind of gross, I guess in a way, if you want to look at it that way. So the story begins online when Stephen Lytle, 20 years old, struck up a conversation with a girl named Alyssa. Alyssa was only 15 at the time, living in Texas, but it didn't take long for the sly Steven to win her over. Soon he would be driving to Texas to begin a sexual relationship with her. Now I understand teenagers looking for love and attention online or elsewhere looking for love and attention online or elsewhere but I wonder what she had told her parents about this guy when he came to Texas, or if they even knew before it was too late. I must say I was sneaky at times when I was a teenager, but I don't think I could have pulled off meeting and seeing a man at 15. I mean, you don't even have her driver's license. I couldn't find any research on how her home life was, but I did find out little bits of Stephen's.
Speaker 1:Stephen Walter Pladel was born on April 6, 1975 in New York. According to the scarce information I did find out that he was described as a quiet kid who kept mostly to himself. He was bullied and also teased in middle school. As one former schoolmate described, he was just unusual and had unusual behaviors. I couldn't find anything on his father, but I do know that his mother, grace and him, was very close and she was a constant in his life. It wasn't long before Alyssa found herself pregnant by Stephen and she gave birth to a baby girl they named Denise. Eventually they got married and Alyssa found out shortly after their marriage that Stephen had a temper and he was very unpredictable. On one occasion he beat a cat to death with his bare hands and tools just because it had wandered into his garage. I don't know about you, but I think that's just a little bit extreme.
Speaker 1:Bishop began to paint a picture of his character. She stated that she was constantly walking on eggshells as he had outbursts that resulted in yelling and throwing things. He once threatened her that if she ever left him he would blow his brains out with a gun, video it and would make sure she saw it. Now that, my friend, is manipulation. If anyone is in the situation with a partner and he or she threatens suicide, please know that you are not responsible for their behavior. Offer to help through like a therapist, etc. But don't allow that to keep you into a toxic relationship. You also need to be careful when you decide to leave. It is well known that the most dangerous time in a domestic situation is when one decides to leave. Stephen always had guns in the home, as we all all know the Southerners do, but when dealing with a partner that is in this frame of mind or his character, it's not a good idea. She would later go on to describe her home as a house of horrors While Alyssa worked to keep the family up.
Speaker 1:Stephen wasn't what you would call a good worker or a provider. He had a hard time holding down a job and would often jump around but never had steady employment. Why am I not surprised by this? Once the baby arrived, his temper didn't change. In fact, it really began to scare her. He couldn't deal with the stress of a new baby and the crying drove him insane. He would pinch her until she was black and blue and one time he put her in the cooler and closed the lid to muffle her crying, and he dared Alyssa to open it. This was the last straw and Melissa knew that she had to do something or he was really going to hurt their baby. That's when she decided to put her up for adoption, mainly for the abuse and to protect her, but also for financial reasons, not to mention how young she was. I couldn't find anything leading me to believe that she had a support system, and I couldn't imagine how hard that decision was to make. Again, maybe if she had a good support system, she and Denise could have left Stephen altogether, but during this time she thought that was the best decision for her and her baby. Regardless of this difficult decision, she chose to remain in the relationship and she went on to have two more daughters.
Speaker 1:Stephen treated those two girls a little differently, but nowhere near the way a father should be. He continued to have outbursts. Once, when Alyssa came home from work, she found one of her daughters in the bathtub, fully clothed and soaked in her own urine. She had been in there for hours. She was three years old, crying, trembling, soaked in her own pee. Their other daughter was autistic and he would routinely call her a retard to her face. Autistic, and he would routinely call her a retard to her face. I'm sorry but I really really try to put myself in other's shoes, but I think I would have packed up and fled to a shelter or something. But I will say I've never been in that position and it's easy for me to say what I think I would do. This is just horrific and sad.
Speaker 1:Denise Pladel was eight months old when she was put up for adoption. Denise was adopted by Anthony Charles Fusco and his wife Kelly of Dover, new York. Anthony was born on September 18th 1961 in Waterbury, connecticut. He married Kelly Ann Gould on September 24th 1983, right out of high school. He spent 30 years as a chief petty officer in the US Coast Guard and another 20 years as a corrections officer. They also had another daughter. When Denise was adopted they changed her name to Katie.
Speaker 1:By my research, katie was a delightful daughter. She was a member of the St Charles Church, graduated from Dover High School in 2016. She loved art, animals, especially stray cats, and was also a great drummer. When Katie turned 18, her parents informed her that she was adopted. Being an 18-year-old teenager, finding out this had to be very hard and naturally she was curious. So what do you do in the tech world when you're curious? We start Googling.
Speaker 1:It didn't take long for Katie to find her birth father, stephen, and they struck up a conversation. After a while, katie decided she wanted to go meet her birth parents and wanted to stay a while with them to get to know them and their other two kids, stephen and Alyssa. Had decided to separate around this time, but they decided to hold off for Katie's arrival. Katie traveled to New York where Stephen and Alyssa lived and moved in that August of 2016. Alyssa was elated to finally get to meet her long-lost daughter of 18 years. She sat Katie down and explained why she had given her up for adoption all those years ago. Katie completely understood and it didn't seem to bother her in the least. She was enjoying meeting her two sisters, who were ages 6 and 11 at the time.
Speaker 1:It wasn't long after Katie moved in that Alyssa became concerned. She seemed to spend a lot of her time with Stephen while she was at work, and things began to get a little weird with Stephen. Stephen began to act and tried to appear as if he was young again. He began wearing skinny jeans, he shaved his beard and she began noticing that Stephen was sleeping in Katie's room on her floor. Now, that's kind of weird. When she confronted Stephen how she thought that was inappropriate, they had a huge argument. Alyssa decided it was time to move out and in November of 2016, she did just that.
Speaker 1:In 2017, their divorce became final and Katie elected to stay with Stephen. She began to notice that Stephen treated Katie as his wife rather than his daughter, and he even had his other two daughters refer to her as their stepmom. Anyone seeing anything weird here? Or is it just me? Flags are flying everywhere. Around May 2017, she came in contact with Katie's diary and she was totally shocked, horrified and sick as she read the unthinkable they were having sex. Yeah, you heard me. Stephen was having sex with his own daughter and they both seemed to be in love with each other. She also found out in her diary that she was pregnant with his baby. Yep, she was pregnant with her first son and also her brother. I'm just gonna let that sink in a minute a minute.
Speaker 1:On July 20th 2017, stephen and Katie went to Maryland. They lied, obtained a marriage certificate and were married. But that's not all. His mother and her adopted parents were in attendance. Her adoptive parents went on to say that they felt their hands were tied and thought that the best thing they could do for her was support her. Alyssa was appalled, fed up and disgusted with Stephen's actions, so she went to the police station in July 2017 and filed a protective order for her, her other two girls. She also spilled the beans on the incest.
Speaker 1:Katie soon gave birth to a baby boy she named Bennett, in September 2017. The joy was short-lived, as she and Stephen was arrested in January 2018 for the incest. They both bonded out and the judge ordered a no contact order between the two, and Katie went back to live with her adoptive parents in New York while Stephen stayed in the house. Custody of baby Bennett was given to Stephen's mother, but they were both allowed to see their son, as no protective order was in place for him. During all of this, katie's adoptive parents finally had a chance to sit her down and explain why this was so morally and legally wrong. Apparently it sank in because Katie called Steven and broke it off.
Speaker 1:I've thought about this. I couldn't find any record of her ever having a boyfriend. Seems she was into her school and was planning to attend college. How many teenagers out there know of the thing called incest? Like most of us know about it and think it's gross and disgusting. But what if you were that 18 year old girl who just found out that these were not your appearance, given up when you were an infant and they adopted you? You have those feelings going on. Now hear me out here. And before processing all of that, you go on a mission to find your birth parents and meet a man whom you have never seen before. You have no attachments, no bonds, nothing Granted.
Speaker 1:She is told that this is her real father and I wonder if she questioned that or not. But again, this is a complete stranger to her. The real adult here decides not to be her father, but would rather choose to be a pedophile in my eyes, and grooms her into what he wants her to be. He gives her too much of the wrong attention and she enters her first relationship with someone who truly loves her. If she had any attraction at all, it was his job to halt it and explain why this was so wrong. Now, granted, I'm not trying to make it okay, even from her perspective I'm just trying to put myself or trying really hard to put myself in the mindset of being 18 years old, never experiencing love and meeting a person that suddenly gives you this attention and falls in love with you, supposedly and he's your dad, but I don't know. It's just hard, hard to wrap my head around.
Speaker 1:Little baby Bennett was last seen alive on Wednesday around 8 pm when Stephen asked his mother if he could take the baby back to his home in Knottdale. Shortly before midnight he called her again to inform her that he was going to take Bennett to see Katie in New York. At 7 am he called to say he was almost there. He told her to call 911 and have the police go to his residence the key was under the mat and for her not to go into his home. When she asked why, he told her that he had murdered his son. Can you imagine your own baby calling you to inform you that he killed his baby, your grandson, like what the fuck is wrong with this guy?
Speaker 1:Meanwhile, katie and her father were running errands on April 12th, but some sources say that they were going to visit Anthony's mother, because they did that every Tuesday and Thursday. I believe they were visiting the grandma because it was Thursday and someone knew their routine and he had driven over 600 miles to hunt them down, as he had been planning ever since Katie had the guts to call it off. He sat patiently and waited until he saw Anthony's Toyota pickup truck with Anthony and Katie inside. He crept up beside them in his Honda Odyssey that day in Milford, connecticut, on Route 7 and 55, rolled down his window, picked up an AR-15, pointed it and began to fire dozens of rounds into the cabin of the Toyota. By 8.45, stephen had called his mother to inform her he had just killed Katie and her father.
Speaker 1:By then police already had an APB out on the Odyssey and was actively looking for him. Because they did go to his residence. They found the key, opened the door to complete silence. They announced their presence but got nothing. They clear the house and so far they're not finding anything out of the way or unusual, until one officer was upstairs in a bedroom and had opened a closet door, to his horror, he found the lifeless body of seven-month-old baby Bennett, wearing an elephant onesie and black socks.
Speaker 1:I want you to know that the crimes these people commit doesn't only affect the victims' friends and family, but to those dedicated to serve the EMS workers, the police officers, the medical examiner. These stories stay with them and a lot of the times they haunt them for many years later. According to Police Chief Lawrence Capps, the baby didn't appear to sustain any noticeable injuries or trauma. Later, the autopsy would say that 7-month-old Bennett died of asphyxia after his little torso had been compressed. Month old Bennett died of asphyxia after his little torso had been compressed. Okay, he would more than likely have to be facing this baby, his baby, and had to have had taken his hands or another object and squeezed to compress the life out of this tiny body, as I'm sure he watched, body as I'm sure he watched. What kind of monster watches the life leave out of a child, let alone their own child, and an innocent seven-month-old baby?
Speaker 1:Around 9 am a passerby called 9-1-1 to report a possible shooting on Route 7 and 55, and the police discovered the Toyota and the bloodbath that contained the bodies of Katie and her adoptive father, anthony Soon. The police spotted the Honda Odyssey with North Carolina plates belonging to Stephen Pladel just over the state border in Dover, new York, five miles from the shooting. The van was still running as they cautiously approached the vehicle, but it was clear the driver was deceased. He was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was identified as a suspect, stephen Wayne Pladel, who was wanted for the murders of Katie, anthony and baby Bennett. What a coward. Around 6.30 that evening the medical examiner office took the bodies to Farmington to prepare them for autopsy.
Speaker 1:Alyssa was informed of the death of her ex-husband, but nothing else. It was later on the internet that good old internet when she pulled up an article of Katie and her father in a blood-soaked truck. That's how she found out that her firstborn child was murdered by the man she had once loved. She then continued to find out the horror that it wasn't just her firstborn but also her first grandson. Can you imagine that? I think law enforcement should have came to her in person and told her of all three murders. She then had the task of informing her other two girls that their father had killed their sister, their nephew and himself. They were all devastated.
Speaker 1:Alyssa didn't attend the funerals because she didn't want to draw even more immediate attention to this tragic event, but instead chose to have her own private memorial to mourn the daughter she lost three times Once to adoption, again to the incestuous Stephen and finally to death. When asked about her ex, she described it as a relief for her and her daughters that she no longer had to live in fear or peer over her shoulder or worry that one day she that he may be waiting in the back of her jeep waiting to shoot her. She stated, and I quote I want people to overthink. I want them to err on the side of caution. I want them to err on the side of protection of the child.
Speaker 1:If you're talking to someone on the internet or dating someone and it doesn't feel right, they are treating you badly, or you're constantly trying to make sure you don't set them off, that's not normal, it's not healthy. Nobody should have to put up with that. End quote. Chief Capps later said in a press release, and I quote End quote measure of comfort and peace as they work to cope with this senseless tragedy". End quote. So no jail time, no justice.
Speaker 1:I hate stories like that. Of course, most of my stories are sad or tragic or just downright weird, but that, my friends and weirdos and ravens, is the story of steven and katie platel. Let me know what you think of this story. Again, like and subscribe or donate. It helps more than you know. If you know of anybody who is in a troubled relationship, I'm going to leave a number for you for the domestic violence hotline 1-800-799-SAFE 1-800-799-SAFE. You can also go to the website I just typed in domestic violence. They do have a chat system where you can chat live. You can also text START to 88788. You can also text START to 88788. That's START S-T-A-R-T to 88788. Again, know that the most dangerous time is when you first leave, but you have to leave. No one deserves to be in a toxic relationship. But that's it for now. This has been a Southern Sass production and until next time, avoid rest stops and be safe.
