Background: A section of the 1100 block of Lancaster Pike in East Drumore Township, Pennsylvania (Google Maps). Inset left: Steven Gaddis (Quarryville Borough Police Department). Inset right: Matthew Whisman (Snyder Funeral Home).
A Pennsylvania man has learned his fate for beating a victim, injecting him with fentanyl, and then tossing his body over a bridge for apparently cooperating with a police investigation.
Steven Gaddis, 28, has been sentenced to 43 to 100 years in prison in connection with the death of 25-year-old Matthew Whisman, according to regional ABC affiliate WHTM. The defendant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit third degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping and intimidation of a witness.
In January 2024, shots were fired at a residence in Maryland, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office said. The home reportedly belonged to Whisman's brother.
On April 3, 2024, Whisman arrived at a home on the 1100 block of Lancaster Pike in East Drumore Township, Pennsylvania. Gaddis went through Whisman's phone and saw a message about Whisman cooperating with police about the shooting investigation, the area TV station reported, citing court documents.
Gaddis — reportedly joined by the victim's cousins, Jeremy Absher and Alexander Whisman, who were 25 and 17 years of age at the time, respectively — took Matthew Whisman into a combined bathroom and laundry room and beat him. The trio then allegedly forced him to take a shower to clean up.
Down in the basement of the residence, Matthew Whisman was eating as Gaddis stood nearby, authorities said. At one point, Gaddis reportedly said to the victim, "How would you feel if it's your last supper," causing the victim to drop his head and cry.
The three suspects "then forced Matthew Whisman into a vehicle and injected him with a lethal dose of fentanyl, killing him," the DA's office stated. "Gaddis and Absher then threw the victim's remains off a bridge."
Several months passed before Matthew Whisman's mother told police in July that she had not heard from her son in months. According to the Lancaster County prosecutorial agency, "One witness told investigators he knew something 'horrible' had happened to Matthew Whisman and that Alexander Whisman, Gaddis and Absher were responsible."
Human remains were discovered "downstream near a hiking trail" in Cecil County, Maryland, in August, and they were confirmed to be those of Matthew Whisman, authorities said. The three suspects were all charged with 11 offenses in connection with Matthew Whisman's death, including murder, kidnapping to facilitate a felony, and intimidation of a witness.
Alexander Whisman and Gaddis were already in a juvenile "intervention center" and prison, respectively, at the time the charges were handed down. The three defendants were all reportedly drug users, with Gaddis said to have been on meth on the night of Matthew Whisman's death.
Gaddis also reportedly pleaded guilty to charges in connection with a shooting into a Quarryville, Pennsylvania, residence in April 2024.
Court records show there are still active cases against Alexander Whisman and Absher, with Absher's next court date slated for April 23.
East Drumore Township is located about 65 miles west of Philadelphia.
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