Charges stand in grisly killing
Oechsle faces first-degree murder count in stabbing
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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- An Altoona man accused of killing his neighbor and living with the dead man's body for days will face trial after all charges in the case were bound over for court during a preliminary hearing Friday.
Raymond Thomas Oechsle Jr., 51, has been charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, aggravated assault, burglary, criminal trespassing, theft, tampering with evidence, abuse of corpse and related charges in the April death of 38-year-old Christopher Helsel.
According to court documents, Altoona police responded to an apartment building at 2003 Eighth Ave. on April 26 after a woman called to report Oechsle was in her apartment when she came home from work. While investigating the incident, police happened upon Helsel's body in Oechsle's apartment.
During a preliminary hearing Friday, Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones heard from the woman who called police, as well as to officers who responded to the scene.
First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith called Janelle Hoffman to tell the court what happened that day.
Hoffman, an upstairs neighbor of Oechsle, testified that she got off work about 3:30 p.m. and was waiting outside of the building to retrieve a key from her fiance, only to discover that the door to her apartment was already open. When she entered her apartment, she said Oechsle "came out of the bed" in her bedroom and the two engaged in a "long power struggle until I got him out of the apartment."
"I immediately start hollering 'get out of my apartment' with a few colorful words sprinkled in," Hoffman said.
During cross examination, Oechsle's attorney, Robert Donaldson, asked Hoffman if Oechsle had been holding anything during the struggle and in what way the two had struggled.
The power struggle was verbal on her part and physical on Oechsle's, Hoffman said, as he pushed her around while she was trying to reach her phone. She was able to put her phone on speaker and call the landlord, the secretary, her caseworker and 911, in that order, she said.
Donaldson then asked how much time passed between when she arrived home and the police arrived. She responded that about a half hour had passed.
Once Oechsle heard that Hoffman was on the phone with police, she said he fled the apartment and hid.
Hoffman said that she had seen Oechsle around in public and knew that he lived on the first floor but reiterated several times that he had no permission to be in her apartment and that she was afraid of him.
"I would have someone escort me in and out of the building because I feared for my safety while he was there," Hoffman said.
When police arrived, Hoffman reported that a TV, tools, oscillating fan, vacuum, carseat, cash and DVD player were missing.
Altoona Police Department Detective Eric J. Heuston, a lead investigator on the case, testified to being on scene the day of Hoffman's call and said that Hoffman told officers that Oechsle had fled to his apartment, although he had recently been evicted.
Officers saw signs of forced entry on the front door of Oechsle's apartment and found the way barricaded when they tried to enter, Heuston said. Proceeding to a second door, officers gained access and discovered Helsel's body. Helsel also lived in the building.
Heuston said that he observed blood on the floor, a bloody footprint near the apartment's back door, a pile of bloody clothes under a table in the kitchen and bloody rags inside a garbage can in the kitchen. He also said that there was a bloody smear on the floor that led to Helsel's body.
Heuston stated he saw numerous stab wounds to the victim's stomach and obvious signs of decay.
When he lifted a shirt covering Helsel's face, Heuston said he saw lacerations to the victim's eyes, face and neck.
Oechsle was not on scene, and officers issued a BOLO or "be on the lookout" for him, Heuston said. Oechsle was located, taken into custody and read his Miranda warnings, after which he agreed to talk, Heuston said.
Heuston testified that Oechsle admitted to stabbing Helsel about 4 a.m. April 23, which was about three days before officers discovered Helsel's body.
Oechsle allegedly told Heuston that he had been seated in the apartment building's common area near the back door when he got into a verbal altercation with Helsel. Oechsle told him that he pulled out a knife and stabbed Helsel "multiple times in self-defense," Heuston testified.
Heuston said that Oechsle told him that "he felt that he had been mistreated by Helsel in the past" and that "Helsel was acting like a b****."
Hueston also testified that Oechsle told him Helsel "backpedaled" and Oechsle went after him. Oechsle said Helsel said "don't kill me, bro," Heuston said.
Once the attack was over, Heuston said Oechsle dragged Helsel's body to the spot where officers found it. Oechsle used adult diapers and cold water to clean the blood in the common area, Heuston reported.
"He essentially went on living his life," Heuston said. "He even had friends over."
Heuston also testified that he talked to the mother of Helsel's children. She reported that two of Helsel's bikes were missing, he said, adding that the bikes, along with many of the items missing from Hoffman's apartment, were found in Oechsle's apartment while officers cleared the scene.
A bloody key to Helsel's apartment was found in a jacket pocket in Oechsle's apartment, Heuston said. Another pocket in the jacket contained a debit card, EBT card and identification card, all in Oechsle's name, Heuston said.
The detective also testified that a bloody knife was found in a pair of pants that were described by Oechsle.
Heuston said that Helsel's cause of death was determined to be numerous stab wounds with the manner of death ruled a homicide.
While initial reports showed Helsel had been stabbed more than 60 times, Heuston said 98 individual incisor wounds were found, with Helsel suffering over 100 total wounds, according to the forensic pathology report.
Incised wounds are caused by a sharp object such as a knife, Heuston said, adding that some of Helsel's wounds were so large and gaping that it was hard to tell how many times he might have been stabbed. Helsel had been stabbed in the face, neck, pectoral, stomach, back and the back of the legs, Heuston said.
After the testimony wrapped up, Jones said the commonwealth had met its burden of proof and all charges were bound over for court.
Oechsle, who remained silent throughout the proceedings, was returned to the Blair County Prison with bail denied. He is scheduled to appear for a formal arraignment July 28.
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.