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Friday, May 17, 2002

By Ernie Hoffman, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

State police have seized a sizable amount of evidence since 18-year-old Adam Bishop was beaten to death with a hammer four weeks ago, but Westmoreland County's chief prosecutor said yesterday that investigators still are not certain of the reason for the slaying.

The evidence includes lists that refer to a teen-age gang, other potential victims and sexual preferences, plus blood samples, computer files, bloody clothes and a claw hammer.

Armed with a series of search warrants, police have accumulated the evidence since Bishop was killed April 19. An autopsy showed he died of severe injuries to the head, where he was struck at least 18 times.

Bishop's 14-year-old brother, Ian, and a friend, 15-year-old Robert M. Laskowski, are charged with first-degree murder in the case. They and the victim were students at Hempfield Area High School.

In one of the search affidavits, Trooper Dennis M. Bernard Jr. said officers found in the Laskowski home "a hit list with names of possible students from Hempfield High School, a list with names, including Adam Bishop, of bisexual and homosexuals. A list of a group known as the Plad Mafia, which Robert Laskowski is head of. A diagram of an explosive device and several writings and diagrams."

Police also seized pornographic materials, writing samples, a computer and an address book from the Laskowski home, which is in a Hempfield development called Wendover.

At the Bishop home, which is near the Hempfield village of Bovard, investigators took blood samples, clothing, a hammer, a wooden club and floppy disks.

Police also seized some files from the high school computer system, under one of the search warrants issued from April 19 to May 13.

Yesterday, District Attorney John W. Peck said the motive for the slaying was unclear.

Peck said he did not know whether the reference to the "Plad Mafia" was significant. He said he believed it was something the youths belonged to while they were middle school students.

Sgt. William Krulac refused to comment on the significance of any of the evidence yesterday.

"I don't want to influence the future of any prosecution," said Krulac, who is the criminal investigation supervisor with the state police at Greensburg.

He said the investigation is not over, but police have nothing at this time that they believe will lead to any additional charges or suspects.

Ian Bishop and Laskowski were freshmen at the high school this year and Adam Bishop was a senior.

Police claim Ian Bishop repeatedly beat his brother on the head with a claw hammer while Laskowski stood by with a club in hand, before the two of them put the victim face-down in a bathtub and turned on the water in the Bishops' house.

When his brother did not die quickly enough, police said, Ian Bishop called a friend and asked him to bring a gun to help finish the job.

The friend, however, brought his mother and when she saw what had happened, she called 911. Ian Bishop and Laskowski fled the house but were arrested within the next several hours, authorities said.

According to police, Laskowski confessed his role in the slaying and told investigators that he and Ian Bishop had planned it three days earlier.

Police said Laskowski said they also planned to kill the Bishop boys' parents, Jeffrey and Karen, then burn down the Bishops' house.

Ian Bishop and Laskowski are being held without bail in the Westmoreland County Prison.