Law enforcement officials in Pennsylvania have brought charges against an 83-year-old Georgia man for the 1975 murder of Gretchen Harrington. WCAU’s Aaron Baskerville reports.
» Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC
» Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews
NBC News Digital is a collection of innovative and powerful news brands that deliver compelling, diverse and engaging news stories. NBC News Digital features NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, TODAY.com, Nightly News, Meet the Press, Dateline, and the existing apps and digital extensions of these respective properties. We deliver the best in breaking news, live video coverage, original journalism and segments from your favorite NBC News Shows.
Connect with NBC News Online!
NBC News App: https://smart.link/5d0cd9df61b80
Breaking News Alerts: https://link.nbcnews.com/join/5cj/breaking-news-signup?cid=sm_npd_nn_yt_bn-clip_190621
Visit NBCNews.Com: http://nbcnews.to/ReadNBC
Find NBC News on Facebook: http://nbcnews.to/LikeNBC
Follow NBC News on Twitter: http://nbcnews.to/FollowNBC
Get more of NBC News delivered to your inbox: nbcnews.com/newsletters
#WCAU #GretchenHarrington #Georgia
Never heard of a drag queen molesting or killing children Sad our children are safer around them instead of preacher’s and priest’s 😢
Technology is bringing bad people to where they belong
Can you imagine the evil?!
Yes! I see it in everyone wearing a tRUMP hat and waving 5 flags on one pole!
Watch those “family friends” from church or anywhere, to be honest. Guard your kids. Don’t let your guard down.
yup
Certain “People Of God” are not People Of God at all.
“Some humans ain’t human.” (John Prine)
Once again, not a drag queen.
Send your children unto me.
Does this really surprise anyone?
Thoes pastors are evil
Horrible…still the nation should understand that most child predators are found in the church
The church can be so evil.
Not THE church. It’s when the body unequally yolks itself to unbelievers or wolves in sheep’s clothing.
@Momo Fuku Doodoo Windu The church is a false location made for false idols. God is within your heart. These pastors are devils in human skin.
@Momo Fuku Doodoo Windu Nice excuse!!? Same BS!
So Christians can’t be mean and evil
If a self-identifying Christian is mean and evil as it pertains to scripture, then that individual is only Christian by name.
@Momo Fuku Doodoo Windu that then applies to most of them because the ones I have met are nothing but hypocrites
Look at that. ANOTHER GROOMER tied to a church. But it’s drag performances we have to worry about. 48 years it took for this creep to get caught. Gretchen was only 8 years old. Anyone who harms a child that way deserves the worst. Hopefully he gets a warm “welcome” before he’s isolated.
@MMMmyshawarma I don’t how oblivious you are but drag has most definitely grown since it’s seedy underground years. It’s being shoved into popular culture like crazy!
@d ccagree, they’re literally singing in the streets, “we’re coming for your kids” gross.
@d cc I can assure you it is NOT new. Drag has been going on for centuries if not longer! Where have you been? The first plays were all done by men, even the women parts were played by men. They wore dresses and makeup.
@d cc No, it’s your nutjob right wingers that keep protesting at every drag show that makes it into your news. Just leave them the f alone.
@Lunasent I didn’t say it hasn’t been around in the past. I said it’s much more prevalent today. And that it’s being pushed on the public to accept by the main stream media. When these kinds of perversions become common and encouraged you know the end is coming.
WHATEVER HIS SENTENCE, HE’S GOTTEN AWAY WITH A BRUTAL MURDER OF A LITTLE GIRL & WHETHER HE HAS BEEN HAUNTED BY HIS DEEDS OR NOT IT WON’T BE ENOUGH JUSTICE, HE HASN’T GOT MANY YEARS ON THIS EARTH LEFT SO HIS SENTENCE WON’T BE FAIR OR JUST.
PEOPLE LIKE HIM ARE THE REASON MY MOM DRUMMED IT INTO ME, THAT NO MATTER WHAT, WHETHER IT WAS OUR ELDERLY NEIGHBOUR NEXT-DOOR OR MY BEST FRIEND’S DAD ACROSS THE STREET, NEVER, EVER GET INTO A CAR WITH ANYONE AND THIS LITTLE GIRL DID JUST THAT, BLESS HER HEART, SHE THOUGHT SHE COULD TRUST HIM & HIS FRIENDLY OFFER OF A RIDE BECAUSE SHE KNEW HIM, IT’S JUST SO HEARTBREAKING.
It really saddens me to picture it. On her way to bible camp FFS. 😞
More horrific deeds perpetrated by supposed Christians 💩🤮
As i said kids are safer at Disney then church
That is so not true. You can’t base this case or others like it and assume ALL churches and the people within them have people like this in them
@Hannah Flewell every church on the planet has had at one child molested in it guaranteed
@Hannah Flewell This may be true but there is a reason that predators involve themselves in churches. They put themselves in trusted positions so that no one would suspect them. We had a predator at our Baptist church for decades who was a deacon. When I went there in the 80’s and 90’s he molested dozen of kids (that we know of). It didn’t come out until 2007 when we had a high school reunion and people started sharing their stories of the creepy guy at church who would “tuck in their shirts.” Turns out the the whole pastoral team knew he was a problem and they just didn’t do anything about it. This happens in many churches every day.
POS Satan’s spawn getting his due. Poor little girl, heartbreaking.
No he’s a typical Christian.
Wow! Sickening!
How horrific 💔
How many other victims of this bible toting monster are there. Countless.
How many years. I just can’t ❤👩🌾 believing it. Evil in jailhouse. 🕋
But yet it was okay for the family of emmit till not to get any justice even after his murderers confessed to the crime
Sooner or later everybodys bill comes due!
Unacceptable.
Smh a republican with christian values did this
Religion is the Poison of Humanity! 😡
Sad they had all the details to pin him, and they hesitated
This story is sickening! Glad he was finally caught but it pains me to imagine the family possibly still going to church their after her death and him possibly comforting them in their loss. YUCK!
And now you can’t even get the satisfaction of knowing the sicko will go away to prison for 25 to Life, the dude’s got maybe two or three breaths left in him at this point.
That’s not a pastor a man that serve God never retired till God take that person home in heaven……..
That’s not a pastor revelation 12:9 the devil Satan deceiveth the whole world
2 Corinthians 11:14 Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light
Pastor lol most evil, deceiving effers
Why couldn’t this guy just enrich himself from his flock and carry on illicit affairs with (adult) parishioners like other pastors? Isn’t that enough?
Hey, worked for Trump.
A lot of Pastors attack kids this isn’t new
The TV show ‘To Catch a Predator’ never filmed an episode outside a Drag Queens house, but they did film 20 episodes featuring football coaches, pastors, priests, doctors, lawyers, uncles, brothers and fathers….
You are so right! Watch out for the ones who seem “Normal”
Yup.
Don’t trust ANYONE with your children. Not your brother, not your father, not your uncle, not your husband, not your son, not your neighbor, not your pastor… NEVER leave your children alone with another person.
Hmm, female peds go undetected a lot longer than male peds. Female peds pick kids aged 0-8 yrs old. Male peds 9 yrs old and up. Female peds do not have to work for trust, and usually delete victims when under suspicion by authorities.
So only 1 person in the world is worthy of being trusted? Crazy
Sound like you have a typical Biden family 😂.
@Eden Eden Who would want to? You people are mentally damaged… 🤣
@guest man My house has never been worth more than under Biden. 😎🍹
Doesn’t surprise me a bit. I was abused by the clergy in the 60’s. They are more dangerous than the devil. Evil using the color of the lord. Organize religion is organized abuse.
If he did this to one child he probably did this to others.
I’d take that bet, you know it wasnt his only one
Let the prisoners have him. I heard they like these type people in prison.
*NOW* they catch the fvcker when he probably has only months to live. He practically got away with his crimes on earth, but he won’t escape judgment from the most high….
Why did they let her walk alone? Why are parents too lazy to walk their own child or drive their child ? I wouldn’t let my 12 year old walk alone, let alone, an eight year old? That’s negligent on the parents part . Predators have access to neglected children!!!
It was the 70s. That was pretty normal back then, from what I have heard.
I grew up in this time period and it was very common for me to walk alone. We know better now so we do better. We couldn’t imagine back then how many predators there were bc victims didn’t dare speak and things like this were just not talked about.
And all these Conservatives are worried about drag queens being near children? What about clergy? They commit 20% of all molestations.
So demonic😮😮
Never trust a god botherer.
They all wanna be in positions that put them above suspicion (pastors, priests, public officials, cops, boy scout counselors, grade school sports coaches, teachers, administrators, ect… ect…). The more squeaky clean they appear the more you have to watch them.
Former pastor,,,,,,,48 year’s holding that secret waith,,,, eating him alive n there is that knock on the door,,,,,he knew was coming
In the end, Jesus will leave NO stone unturned!! All evil will be revealed.
“pray for his soul because he’s gonna need it…” reflects a deeply ironic and insulting sentiment. The fact that the perpetrator was a pastor offers substantial reason to doubt that prayers have any efficacy. It is disheartening to witness how, despite the egregiousness of the crime, many still cling to the belief in an all-powerful, all-knowing god who supposedly listens to prayers.
Disheartening indeed. It is so tough for many people to admit, despite an abundance of evidence all around them, that there just isn’t a supernatural deity that has any control over daily life. It seems most people cannot live without the idea of a loving god.
The pastor did this crime, not God.
You are theologically bankrupt, with no understanding of scripture, & zero faith. Faith isn’t based on the fact that there are wolves in sheeps clothing. If that’s your excuse for rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ- you don’t even know your own heart: you want an excuse, frankly. Without salvation through faith in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for your sins & the sins of the whole world, by which all those who believe & call upon him shall be saved- you are headed for the same fate as this wicked man. Think that through, Eric.
@AHill Very true, but you can’t have it both ways. God didn’t do this crime because God never actually does anything- good or bad. Humans do.
This is also more evidence that no force like “the Holy Spirit” actually exists in pastors, Christians or anybody. People just feel strongly that they are different.
I speak as a believer for 40 years; I finally had to admit- as meaningful as those feelings were- that they are all just subjective and humanly derived.
Praying for the downfall
I dont believe in closure.
Christians. Smh
#notadragqueen
Sad but not surprising. Anywhere there are children there are predators, you really can’t trust anyone.
What!!? Are you sure it wasn’t a drag queen?
Can’t believe it took 50 years to find out who committed this crime.
Especially when he attempted it on another girl whose mother told the police
Poor little Angel !
May she finally Rest In Peace.🙏🏼🌹
A wolf in sheep’s clothing.
It seems like a lot of these freaks are Christians. Idk if it’s because the religion focuses on forgiveness or what…
funny how a lot of child molesters are religion affiliated, seems like the focus should be there instead of trans people.
That is why I really wonder if a member of the church is involved in Summer wells dissaperance.They supposed to be at ” service of god” but most of the time it’s the complete opposite.There is plenty of pastor and priests paedophile here in Canada.It’s disgusting and it’s the reason I never go at ⛪ it’s just a buildings full of lies. My opinion of course.
I love that he is exposed now to everyone that knew him. Glad he is alive to experience it.
Not a drag queen.
Just your typical Republican
Poor little girl
The church is a problem from within. I will never raise my kids to go to that place of evil.
“Pastor”.
Not surprising whatsoever. It’s institutional. I appreciate those who have found positivity in religion. It can be a great force for good. But it needs to stop turning a blind eye.
Another “good christian” and tRump voter!! Religion, the roots of ALL EVIL, hate and fear!
It’s called do not trust anyone. Cop, firefighter, priest, friend, relative- unless you’re a mind reader.
Remember Jesus forgives all
Keep your kids away from pastors, reverends, and christians in general. Bible camps a nothing but child grooming facilities!
You really can’t trust anyone nowadays. The so called monsters society talks about aren’t furry with 10 eyes and horns. They are right beside us. They come in the form of “Pastors” “Doctors” “Lawyers”
“Judges” “Police Officers” “Firefighters” “EMTS” “Politicians” Public Servants”
“County Clerks” Tax Assessors” and yes that middle aged guy who smiles at you at your local McDonald’s. You really can’t trust anyone these days. You really can’t!😮 😢
Don’t supprise me what some GOD BELIVER would do!
Protestants. 😒
At the same thing going on today there’s always a snake in with the sheep whispering in their ears while they’re doing all their dirt
Religion should be outlawed
I am not surprised… many pastors are wolves in sheepskin. Many of them are in evangelical circles in mostly rural areas of republican states…
just took 50 years… what kind of justice is that….
Oh they gonna take good care of this POS. He ain’t gonna make it long down the road
What closure? They already knew she was dead.😢😢😢
There is justice when they finally caught the killer. I wonder why GOD didn’t expose this “man of worship” much earlier.
Thank God, He will get revenge on this man for her. He owes her and God will make him pay what he owes. That’s what God does! He justifies EVERYTHING! If it isn’t fairly divided, God knows exactly how much is needed.
Is that the same god that allowed a pastor to murder a child?
If you don’t believe in a magical deity who punishes humans after they die then he just got away with murder and lived his whole life a free man while Gretchen was robbed of hers at age 8.
Can you ever get closure knowing a spiritual leader murdered your beautiful child, who probably suffered immensely in the process? I sure could not.
Thks the DNA
That sweet little girl was on her way to bible camp and she trusted the pastor, he’d probably been grooming her for some time. Makes my heart ache. God bless her soul.
Sinister minister.
Pray for the soul of the perpetrator ? Uhhh that God’s business now. Energy of prayer for this young girl’s soul and comfort for her family and friends.
Nothing like justice served right on time!
at 83 yo 🙄
There are more Victims! I hope they can now come forward and get Justice.
The usual suspects.
in japan there were about 850 homicides last year with a population of 125 million. in the US there were about 20,000 with a population of about 350 million. japan only sees 10 shootings per year. in a country where mental illness is so rampant should we continue to give people guns? this is a very disturbing story. why do we continue to ignore mental illness when we’ve had it as a crisis for so long now?? there is something really wrong with this country and it’s gonna lose its power just like England did and it’s going to become like a dangerous third world country-it practically already is. THERE IS SOMETHING VERY WRONG WITH AMERICA
doubt this was his only killing
Poor girl a preacher who pretend to survey gad is ivel
Pastor? 👹 yeah right.
Does anyone blame people for fleeing churches and organized religion?
Of course it’s a pastor! Of course it was!
Yeah, here is another great example of how horrible organized religion is.
Yeah atheist are so much better with mao,adolf and stalin. This is human nature and doesnt have anything to do with religion or not
Thats why you all need to watch the sound of freedom because is about this child predators roaming around your neighborhood as we speak. May god rest this angel soul and the family found closure😢😢😢😢😢😢🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Let’s be clear: this evil man got away with it.
Bad things happen when people follow Pastors/ masters in wolf’s clothing. Stay at home and do your own praying.
Who is to tell if this poor innocent child was the only victim of this vile man.
Maybe he should be looked into regarding missing Lauren Jackson missing from Spring City in 1988 – 38 miles away. When did he move to Georgia?
poor girl, her life has been cut short by the devil pastor. I feel the pastor’s wife and girls knew of it but try to keep it to themselves for many years.
poor girl, her life has been cut short by the devil pastor. I feel the pastor’s wife and girls knew of it but try to keep it.