Bio

Roland William Steele was born in 1947. He grew up in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Steele became involved in martial arts as he grew older. He developed skills in karate and became a karate expert. His dedication to martial arts was significant and would later play a role in the events that shaped his adult life.

As an adult, he continued to live in Pennsylvania. He was known in the area as a man who was passionate about martial arts. His life took a serious turn, leading to events that changed everything.

Murder Story

Roland William Steele, known as "The Karate Killer," committed a series of brutal murders in Washington County, Pennsylvania. On June 21, 1985, he kidnapped three elderly women: 88-year-old Lucille Horner, 86-year-old Minnie Warwick, and 85-year-old Sarah Knutz. He abducted them from a shopping mall parking lot and took them to a wooded area.

Steele attacked the women using his karate skills, beating them to death. The victims had no chance to defend themselves against him. After the murders, their bodies were found in a tire dump in Cecil Township.

Steele was arrested shortly after the crimes. In January 1986, he was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder. A jury took just 35 minutes to reach a decision. He was sentenced to death on March 25, 1988. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld his sentence in 1989.

In 1999, an execution warrant was issued, but it was stayed because of a pending petition for post-conviction relief. The court later denied this relief, and the state Supreme Court reaffirmed that decision in December 2008. Steele's execution by lethal injection was scheduled for June 18, 2009. At that time, he was held at the State Correctional Institution at Greene.