Fifty years ago today, on March 17, 1976, Michael Abt was at St. Dominic Church, burying his mom, dad, brother and two sisters, all shot to death in their Trevose home five days earlier.
The John F. Fluehr & Sons holy cards said it all: “In Loving Memory of John F. Abt Sr., Margaret A. Abt, Margaret M. Abt, John F. Abt Jr., Kathleen Abt. Died March 12, 1976.”
Five caskets and 30 pallbearers in the Holmesburg Catholic church on St. Patrick’s Day.
Johnny and Kathy Abt’s Neil Armstrong Middle School classmates were among the pallbearers, later placing green and white carnations on their caskets before they were lowered into the ground at St. Dominic Cemetery.
“That was the saddest day of my life seeing those little kids carrying their classmates to their grave,” Michael Abt said in a recent interview.
The killing spree also claimed the life of Gary Engle, Margie Abt’s boyfriend. Heidi, the family St. Bernard, was also shot to death.
Yet, the 50-year anniversary of the case would have gone unnoticed if not for a recently published book, A Killer in the House, by former Bucks County Courier Times reporter Kathryn Canavan.
The book touches on another celebrated murder in Bucks County on the same day as the Abt killings. A 77-year-old couple, Ed and Marguerite Vogenberger, were tortured with a stun gun, then shot to death in their Langhorne home. The case remains unsolved.
Upon release of the book, there were a couple of newspaper articles about the killings, including this version in the Times: https://northeasttimes.com/2026/03/12/books-recounts-a-killer-in-the-house-50-years-ago/
On March 14, Canavan held a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Fairless Hills. Michael Abt, who now lives in Penndel, was in attendance, and he signed some books, too. So did Dave Clee, the Bensalem Township patrolman who found the bodies in the basement of the home at 3711 Fleetwood Ave. Clee lived on Fleetwood Avenue at the time, and still lives on the block.
As Canavan’s book recounts, the killer waited for the Abt family to leave the house that Friday morning, before breaking in and waiting for them to return. He killed all six people individually, right after they walked inside.
Michael Abt, 21 at the time, was running late. His 23-year-old brother, Clifford, was in jail. The killer left the house after the telephone rang a number of times, worried that the caller would alert police that nobody was answering at a house where most residents were home in the early evening.
“It was just a horrible incident,” Michael said of the killings. “It’s something I never got over. It totally f—– my whole life up. He killed seven people that day. I just didn’t stop breathing.”
By the time of the funeral, the case had not been solved. Canavan, in her book, described that Wednesday as a “cheerless Saint Patrick’s Day.”
The Rev. Richard Farrant was a cousin of Peggy Abt, who worked at the old IRS building at Comly Road and Roosevelt Boulevard. Farrant married Jack and Peggy in 1951 and celebrated the family funeral Mass, calling the episode “our Friday night massacre” during his homily.
Police provided protection for Clifford and Michael at the funeral.
“The funeral was massive at St. Dominic’s,” Michael recalled. “Frankford Avenue was closed. It was a big funeral. There were cameras on the rooftops around the cemetery. The cops had no idea who did it.”
Police were concerned for the two survivors’ safety, since it appeared the killer targeted the whole family, so Clifford’s attorney, former state Sen. Bob Rovner, had him relocated from Bucks County Prison to a holding cell in Bensalem for protection.
The case was solved five days after the funeral, thanks to two kids finding the murder weapon while fishing, the false report of a stolen gun and some crafty interrogation techniques.
The killer turned out to be 24-year-old George Geschwendt, who lived right across the street and was especially targeting Clifford and Michael, his former friends, due to a personal vendetta. He was in the Abt house all day.
“I was shocked,” Michael said of learning his former friend killed his family. “I was totally blown away by it. I can’t imagine why someone would do something like that.”
Michael speculated Heidi could have done her business on the Geschwendt lawn, but that would be no reason to kill a family.
The killer planned a little ahead of time.
“Geschwendt bought a gun and reported it stolen from his bike at Neshaminy Mall,” Michael said.
The gun was never stolen, and after the crime, Geschwendt threw it into Neshaminy Creek – but not deep enough, allowing kids to find it and ultimately leading to his arrest.
Geschwendt was tried, convicted and sentenced to the electric chair.
“I was overjoyed he got the death penalty,” Michael said.
The death penalty was later ruled unconstitutional, and Geschwendt received a life sentence. He died in 2020 at a Wayne County prison.
As for Michael, his life started out just fine. The Abts lived in the Northeast, and he attended Our Lady of Calvary in first grade before his parents decided they would like to have a couple more children and needed a bigger home in the suburbs. Michael went on to attend the old Assumption BVM School in Feasterville and then Bensalem High School.
The killings when he was a young adult changed everything. He was married once, has a son, daughter, three grandchildren and some great-grandchildren and extended family. But he has little contact with his family. He has some hearing, vision and mobility issues. He spends most of his time on his phone, sitting on his porch or talking to a neighbor.
A lot of time – 50 years, to be exact – has passed since the Abt family tragedy, and Michael lost touch with many acquaintances.
“Everybody thought I was dead,” he said. “I guess I kind of was.”
While the house at 3711 Fleetwood Ave. remains, it’s under different owners.
Michael lost his brother, Clifford, in 1989.
Michael said Clifford’s death, believed to be drug related, led him to reform a life that included selling drugs, binge drinking and a suicide attempt.
“Right after Cliff died is when it really hit me,” he said. “Enough’s enough. I just walked away from everyone and everything illegal. It wasn’t who I was. I totally turned my self around. I got a good job on the railroad, got sick, then retired.” ••
Kathryn Canavan will be holding a book signing on Saturday, March 28, from noon to 2 p.m., at the Barnes & Noble at 210 Commerce Blvd., Fairless Hills.
To buy the book, go to https://www.brooklinebooks.com/9781955041669/killer-in-the-house/ or amazon.com.
To report any information on the unsolved killings of Ed and Marguerite Vogenberger, call Bucks County Detectives at 215-348-6354.
