Police have charged a 19-year-old Lancaster County man, who allegedly crashed his car on purpose in order to kill his girlfriend, with criminal homicide.
This is the first time the Lancaster County District Attorney has charged someone with criminal homicide, rather than homicide by vehicle, in an incident involving a car.
Benjamin Klinger of Elizabethtown had been facing less serious charges until now.
At first there was a rumor that his girlfriend was pregnant, that’s even what the DA suspected. But after an autopsy we learned that wasn't true.
So the question becomes, what was the motive here? The DA says there was violence in the relationship.
19-year-old Benjamin Klinger of Elizabethtown now faces a long list of charges including criminal homicide in the death of his girlfriend, 17-year-old Samantha Heller.
She was in a car with him when police say he crashed it on purpose, in an effort to kill her.
When that didn't work, police say he sat on Heller, while her face was on the ground, suffocating her.
This happened December 4th around 2:15 a.m. on Route 283, west of Strickler Road.
"It's obviously an unusual case and we responded we thought it was perhaps another tragic car crash and there's much more to it than that," explained Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman.
At first the rumor was Heller was pregnant. But an autopsy found that wasn't the case.
CBS 21 asked DA Stedman how that fact changes this case.
He says our question get more into strategy and motive, something he can't talk about now.
But what he can tell us is that the couple had a violent relationship.
“Then you end up with one person's life lost. The other person ends up spending either their whole life or a good chunk of it in jail. If they have children, it's devastating. Domestic violence is a huge issue in our county and our country."
Klinger was arrested at his home.
He now sits in Lancaster County Prison. The DA says he will pursue a first-degree murder conviction.
This is the first time the Lancaster County District Attorney has charged someone with criminal homicide, rather than homicide by vehicle, in an incident involving a car.
Benjamin Klinger of Elizabethtown had been facing less serious charges until now.
At first there was a rumor that his girlfriend was pregnant, that’s even what the DA suspected. But after an autopsy we learned that wasn't true.
So the question becomes, what was the motive here? The DA says there was violence in the relationship.
19-year-old Benjamin Klinger of Elizabethtown now faces a long list of charges including criminal homicide in the death of his girlfriend, 17-year-old Samantha Heller.
She was in a car with him when police say he crashed it on purpose, in an effort to kill her.
When that didn't work, police say he sat on Heller, while her face was on the ground, suffocating her.
This happened December 4th around 2:15 a.m. on Route 283, west of Strickler Road.
"It's obviously an unusual case and we responded we thought it was perhaps another tragic car crash and there's much more to it than that," explained Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman.
At first the rumor was Heller was pregnant. But an autopsy found that wasn't the case.
CBS 21 asked DA Stedman how that fact changes this case.
He says our question get more into strategy and motive, something he can't talk about now.
But what he can tell us is that the couple had a violent relationship.
“Then you end up with one person's life lost. The other person ends up spending either their whole life or a good chunk of it in jail. If they have children, it's devastating. Domestic violence is a huge issue in our county and our country."
Klinger was arrested at his home.
He now sits in Lancaster County Prison. The DA says he will pursue a first-degree murder conviction.