The William Babner case refers to the January 8, 2000 abduction of two eighteen-year-old college freshmen near York, Pennsylvania, by William Babner, who raped one victim, shot both in the face at the edge of the Susquehanna River, and left them for dead. Both survived. A York County jury convicted Babner on every count that August, and Judge Sheryl Ann Dorney sentenced him to 117½ to 235 years in state prison.
What Happened on January 8, 2000
Danielle Keener, a freshman at Susquehanna University, and Dan Zapp, a freshman at Carnegie Mellon University, were walking near a marina outside York when Babner, then 40, blocked their path with his red pickup truck and forced them inside at gunpoint with a 9mm pistol. A Rottweiler named Sam was in the truck with him.1CBS News. 48 Hours Live to Tell: River’s Edge
Babner drove roughly twelve miles to a secluded stretch of Gut Road in East Manchester Township, on the banks of the Susquehanna. He repeatedly raped Keener and robbed Zapp of $45 and his wallet.2The Morning Call. Bethlehem Man Describes Attack Along Susquehanna He then ordered both victims to the river’s edge and opened fire. Zapp was shot behind the ear; the bullet passed through his windpipe, chipped a vertebra, and exited his cheek. Keener was shot through the mouth, shattering her jaw. As they fell into the icy water, Babner fired again and struck Keener in the thigh.1CBS News. 48 Hours Live to Tell: River’s Edge
How the Victims Survived
Both regained consciousness in the river. The cold water slowed their bleeding. They played dead and drifted downstream together until a local duck hunter, Pete Prowell, spotted what he first took to be two objects in the current, waded in, and pulled them ashore. Neither could speak. Prowell flagged down a passing car to send for help, and both were taken to York Hospital.1CBS News. 48 Hours Live to Tell: River’s Edge
Keener’s face swelled to the size of a bowling ball, and her treating physician, Dr. John Hankle, described her shattered jaw as looking like “Rice Krispies.” She underwent a tracheotomy and reconstructive surgery. Zapp’s throat wound left him on a respirator and unable to speak.1CBS News. 48 Hours Live to Tell: River’s Edge
How Police Identified Babner
Northeastern Regional Police Chief Darryl Albright led the investigation. Officers searching the scene that night found a large pool of blood about three feet from the water and three 9mm shell casings in the shallows.3CBS News. Live to Tell: River’s Edge
Detective Doug Demangone went to the hospital to interview the survivors. Keener had been placed in an induced coma, but Zapp, on a respirator, wrote out answers on a notepad. He described his attacker, a “beat-up red pickup truck with a white or gray cap,” and a black Rottweiler named Sam. Local investigators recognized the profile as Babner, who owned a Rottweiler and had a record of alcohol-related and violent offenses. When Demangone presented a photo lineup, Zapp’s pupils dilated at Babner’s picture and he hit the photograph repeatedly.1CBS News. 48 Hours Live to Tell: River’s Edge
Officers located Babner’s truck the same night and surrounded his girlfriend’s home in Newberry Township, where he was staying. They held off until roughly 8:00 a.m. on January 9 so a child at the residence could leave for school, then executed the search warrant. Captain Roland Camacho was the third officer through the door and subdued Babner. Inside, investigators recovered the 9mm handgun and blood-spotted clothing that matched Zapp’s written descriptions, including black Nike sneakers.3CBS News. Live to Tell: River’s Edge The York County Forensic Team later matched tire prints from the riverbank to Babner’s truck and matched dog hairs from Zapp’s coat to Babner’s Rottweiler.4Pocono Record. Left for Dead: Court TV
The Trial and the Verdict
Held on $1 million bail, Babner refused to plead guilty, and both survivors testified six months after the attack.5CBS News. Crime Scene Photos: River’s Edge The six-day trial took place in York County Court before Judge Sheryl Ann Dorney. First Deputy District Attorney Ed Paskey and District Attorney H. Stanley Rebert prosecuted, presenting 84 exhibits alongside the survivors’ testimony. Paskey told jurors the case was “not talking about misguided shots that missed their feet” but gunfire fired inches from the victims’ brains.6The Morning Call. Jury Convicts York Man of Shootings, Rape
Chief Public Defender Bruce Blocher made no opening statement, called no witnesses, and did not put Babner on the stand. In closing, Blocher called Babner “delusional” and likened the shootings to a “hunting accident,” arguing the prosecution had not proven intent. The jury convicted on every count: two counts of attempted first-degree murder, four counts of rape, three counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of robbery, and one count of carrying a firearm without a license. Judge Dorney revoked bail on the spot.6The Morning Call. Jury Convicts York Man of Shootings, Rape
The Sentence
On September 7, 2000, Judge Dorney sentenced Babner, then 41, to a minimum of 117½ years and a maximum of 235 years in state prison, with every sentence ordered to run consecutively. The two attempted first-degree murder counts alone accounted for 20 to 40 years each, on top of 10 to 20 years for each kidnapping, each count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, the rape, and the robbery, plus a further 5 to 10 years on a separate attempted murder count tied to the thigh wound and 2 to 5 years for the firearms count.7The Morning Call. Convicted Kidnapper, Rapist Gets 235 Years
Judge Dorney called the crimes “ruthless, senseless, heartless acts of violence” and said she saw no remorse in the defendant.7The Morning Call. Convicted Kidnapper, Rapist Gets 235 Years
Where the Survivors Are Now
Keener married Kevin MacGuire in October 2005 and later became a licensed clinical social worker, speaking publicly about the attack at a “Take Back the Night” rally. In a 2006 interview she said, “I want people to see it didn’t destroy us. We both have happy lives. It’s a part of us, but it’s not who we are.”4Pocono Record. Left for Dead: Court TV Zapp went on to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology and married Elizabeth Bierma in October 2007. The two survivors reconnected years after the crime and remain close; Zapp attended MacGuire’s wedding, as did the officers who worked the case and Pete Prowell, the hunter who pulled them from the river.1CBS News. 48 Hours Live to Tell: River’s Edge