Jeffrey Alderton
Cumberland Times-News
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CENTERVILLE, Pa. — For most people, 9/11 became a memorable date nine years ago. But for the Brallier family in nearby Centerville, Pa., that date took on unspeakable significance 40 years ago.
That’s when 12-year-old Kelly Jo Brailler was abducted near her home and then killed.
David Edward Cruthers, of Cumberland, who was 22 at the time, remains imprisoned today for taking the life of the beautiful, bright seventh-grader of Bedford Junior High School.
It was Sept. 11, 1970 when Kelly Jo was walking to a nearby friend’s house headed to Bedford for the Bedford-Everett high school football game. Cruthers, who worked at the Bedford Springs Hotel, tried to grab her and threw her into the trunk of his vehicle. She fought back, but he struck her in the head several times with a hammer and then carried her body into the nearby woods where she died.
Cruthers was arrested a few hours later and was convicted of first-degree murder after pleading guilty to the crime. He was sentenced to life and is imprisoned in the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon.
“He was sentenced to life, which also meant life for our family,” said Craig Miller, Kelly Jo’s uncle.
Miller and the Brailler family have lived with their excruciating loss one hour at a time since the day Kelly Jo died.
In coping with the loss all these years, Miller has reached out to other victims of crime whose lives were forever disturbed by violence and lawlessness.
“We don’t want anyone to feel sorry for us. We don’t want pity. I go into prisons and different settings to talk about Kelly Jo and the death she suffered. It is a way for me to deal with it, no matter if it was 40 years ago. Life was never the same after that. Birthdays, holidays, 9-11 itself, and even the recent abduction case in Cumberland bring it all back to mind. It never goes away. We miss Kelly Jo so much. It’s like it just happened yesterday.
“We wanted to meet with Cruthers and contacted him through the prison but he won’t meet with us. My sister Joyce (Kelly Jo’s mother) is just trying to find some peace. But he won’t let us,” said Miller.
The Brallier family and Miller will hold an event to commemorate Kelly Jo’s life at the Bedford Valley Assembly of God Church in Centerville at 2 p.m., on Sept. 11, 2010, 40 years to the day that Kelly Jo died.
The gathering is open to the public and affords opportunity for victims of crime to come together in a show of mutual support and encouragement despite the pain and loss of life.
Anyone who would like to contact Miller may call 301-729-6027.
Contact Jeffrey Alderton at jlalderton@times-news.com.
