Bio

John Charles Lesko was born in Pennsylvania in 1959, though his complete birthdate has not been verified. Before the 1979–1980 murders, he was a young man from the Pittsburgh area. Lesko’s family often lived in poor conditions. Utilities were sometimes shut off, food was limited, and the children were not always properly supervised. Lesko reportedly missed school often and appeared tired and unclean when he did attend. As a child, he also suffered serious trauma, including burn injuries at around age four and sexual abuse at around age six or seven.

At about age nine, Lesko was removed from his mother’s care and placed in institutions. He stayed in institutional settings until shortly before his fifteenth birthday, when he and his younger brother were placed with their grandmother. His problems continued during his teenage years. During his teenage years, Lesko struggled with poor school attendance, drug and alcohol use, and a burglary conviction. He later joined the Marines, but after completing boot camp, he went absent without leave and was discharged.

Before the murders, he became close with Michael J. Travaglia. Together, the two young men carried out a series of robberies, abductions, and killings in Western Pennsylvania between December 1979 and January 1980. The case became known as the “Kill for Thrill” murders because the victims were unrelated and the attacks appeared to have no single clear motive.

Murder Story

John Charles Lesko and Michael Travaglia began their killing spree on December 27, 1979, in the Pittsburgh area. Their first known victim was Peter Levato. Lesko and Travaglia abducted him from downtown Pittsburgh, tied his hands and feet, and drove him to a remote area. They pushed him into the water while he was still bound. When they realized he was still alive, Travaglia shot him and killed him.

Their second victim was Marlene Sue Newcomer, a 26-year-old woman from Fayette County. On January 1, 1980, she picked up Lesko and Travaglia while they were hitchhiking. Once inside her vehicle, Lesko pointed a gun at her. Newcomer was handcuffed and placed in the back seat. Lesko and Travaglia then used her vehicle during a robbery. Afterward, Lesko shot her twice, killing her. Her body was later found in a parking garage in Pittsburgh.

On January 2, 1980, Lesko and Travaglia met 15-year-old Ricky Rutherford, who later became a prosecution witness. That night, the group got into a car driven by William Nicholls. Travaglia shot Nicholls in the arm, and Nicholls was forced into the back seat. At Lesko’s direction, Rutherford handcuffed him. Lesko then beat Nicholls, threatened him, and robbed him.

Nicholls was taken to a frozen lake in a wooded area. His hands were still handcuffed, and his legs were tied. Travaglia broke a hole in the ice, and he and Lesko dragged Nicholls toward the water. Nicholls was placed into the freezing lake and left there. Lesko later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his role in Nicholls’s death.

After Nicholls was killed, Lesko and Travaglia drove away in his stolen car. In the early morning of January 3, 1980, they encountered Apollo police Officer Leonard C. Miller, who was parked near the roadside. Travaglia drove past Miller several times to provoke him into a chase. When Miller began pursuing them, Lesko told Rutherford to lie down in the back seat because it might become a “shooting gallery.”

Travaglia eventually stopped the car. As Officer Miller approached, Travaglia rolled down the window and shot him twice. Miller returned fire before dying, breaking the passenger-side window of the car. Lesko, Travaglia, and Rutherford fled the scene.

Later that day, Lesko and Travaglia returned to Pittsburgh. In a hotel room, Travaglia reportedly said, “I shot a cop.” Lesko allegedly replied, “I wanted to.” Travaglia gave the gun used in Miller’s murder to another man, Daniel Montgomery. Police later arrested Montgomery and recovered the weapon. Lesko and Travaglia were arrested that same night. Both gave statements linking themselves to the murders.

The case went through several courts and appeals. Lesko and Travaglia were tried together for Officer Miller’s murder in Westmoreland County. Their trial began on January 21, 1981. On January 30, 1981, both men were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy. On February 3, 1981, they were sentenced to death.

Lesko’s sentence was later overturned during appeals, but in 1995, a jury again sentenced him to death. His lawyers continued to challenge the conviction and sentence for many years, raising issues about his trial lawyer, his right to testify, and evidence about his childhood and mental health. In May 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rejected Lesko’s request for relief.

In November 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections issued a notice setting Lesko’s execution date for December 29, 2022. However, Pennsylvania has a death penalty moratorium, and executions have not gone forward under that policy. John Charles Lesko remains imprisoned under a death sentence. Michael Travaglia died in prison on September 4, 2017, from natural causes related to illness.