The Duncannon Triple Murders of 1965
On the Thursday afternoon of April 1, 1965, state troopers visited the Duncannon home of 47-year-old Byron Halter and his family, consisting of his wife, Betty, their 17-year-daughter, Holly, and Betty's mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Swank, who lived in the adjoining side of the duplex. The reason for their visit was because someone had sent anonymous letters to the Harrisburg Evening News and the Newport News-Sun warning that four people were about to die. It was an employee of the Newport newspaper who notified the authorities. The possibility of an April Fool's prank dimmed when additional letters reached the hands of the Duncannon postmaster as well as a close personal friend of Byron Halter, local businessman Howard Maguire. One of the letters appeared to have been handwritten in pencil upon common typewriter paper, the others were carbon copies. Postmarks showed the letters had been mailed from Sunbury, Northumberland County, on March 31, but the letters were dated March 29 ...
