Bethel Park man admits to killing ex-girlfriend's husband
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Tracy and John "Jack" Pavlick had been separated but were attempting to reconcile in October 2009.
That Halloween, the couple went to a party, and the man she had dated on and off during the separation was there.
Jason Kasper had been having a bad day, so Ms. Pavlick invited him to go to another party with her and her husband.
But the couple ended up going back to their Bethel Park home, and about 30 minutes later, Mr. Kasper arrived there, too. He rang the
That started a sequence of events that left Mr. Pavlick dead and Mr. Kasper facing a possible prison term.
He pleaded guilty Thursday to involuntary manslaughter, homicide by vehicle and two counts of driving under the influence.
Mr. Kasper, 37, also of Bethel Park, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge David R. Cashman on May 21.
According to Ms. Carey, when he heard Mr. Kasper at the door, Mr. Pavlick went outside after him, and the two began wrestling on the front lawn.
Mr. Kasper then got into his vehicle, a 2002 Buick Regal, and backed up, striking a tree. Mr. Pavlick approached the car, and first kicked the driver's side door, before standing in front of it.
Mr. Kasper floored it, Ms. Carey said, and Mr. Pavlick ended up on the hood of the vehicle. He eventually rolled off, becoming pinned underneath.
Neighbors attempted to lift the vehicle by using jacks, but the ground was too soft and they were unsuccessful.
doorbell and asked Ms. Pavlick if she was going to leave her husband, said Assistant District Attorney Lisa S. Carey.
Mr. Pavlick died of asphyxiation.
At the plea hearing on Thursday, Ms. Pavlick's friend read a victim impact statement on her behalf to the judge. She said that Ms. Pavlick has post-traumatic stress disorder since the incident.
"Jack didn't have to die," the woman read. "His only defense is that the widow made him do it."
Defense attorney Patrick Thomassey, though, in a tough cross-examination, asked Ms. Pavlick if she's the one who invited Mr. Kasper to her home.
She denied it.
"He was not invited to my house by me," she said. "He was very upset that day. I went to two bars with my husband and invited Jason, if he was having a bad day that day, to join us."
The Pavlicks had been married 10 years.
Mr. Thomassey's questions were quickly cut off when Ms. Carey challenged his vigorous cross-examination on a victim-impact statement.
Two of Mr. Pavlick's sisters also testified about the loss of their brother, saying his death left a "huge aching hole" in their hearts.
As the women spoke about the steep decline in their mother's health after Mr. Pavlick died, Mr. Kasper began to sob.
Sharon Kraus described her brother as a gregarious man who operated the family's roofing business. Sometimes when Mr. Pavlick went out to do an estimate on a job, he'd take his mom along and then treat her to lunch.
"The company was in its 50th year," she said. "Unfortunately, it was also the last."
First Published February 10, 2012 12:00 am
