5 years after a Ferguson Township homicide, charges have been filed. Here’s what we know
A South Carolina man was charged Monday by Pennsylvania’s top prosecutor with the killing of a Pine Grove Mills woman who was fatally shot in her home more than five years ago.
Christopher Kowalski, 34, was charged with one count of criminal homicide of Jean Tuggy.
Her former Wegmans co-worker admitted to the killing Monday in an interview with police, officers wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
“Jean died more than five years ago and her family has not had closure since,” state Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement. “Thanks to the diligent efforts of our lawyers, investigators and fellow members of law enforcement who never gave up on this case, the arrest of Christopher Kowalski is the first step toward putting her murderer behind bars. The Tuggy family has waited too long for justice, but we hope this news helps them heal.”
The charge comes after a yearslong Ferguson Township police and state attorney general’s office investigation. Tuggy, 60, died of a gunshot wound to the head Jan. 20, 2016, at 175 Irion St.
Kowalski and Tuggy developed a friendship during the nearly seven years they worked together. The two developed a romantic relationship, something Tuggy planned to end, police wrote.
Kowalski initially said his 9 mm pistol inadvertently discharged twice while the two planned to watch movies the day Tuggy died; once when the gun fell to the floor and once when he attempted to clear the weapon, police wrote.
But when pressed by investigators, Kowalski recanted and said he shot her twice because she was an “easy target” who wouldn’t be able to fight back, police wrote. He also turned her oxygen off to “ensure she was dead.”
“The truth is, I killed her,” police quoted Kowalski as saying. “I killed her because I was depressed, down and hopeless. I was having a mid-life crisis.”
Tuggy was discovered the day after the shooting by two friends who were concerned that she did not follow through on their plans. Happy Valley residents were encouraged to lock their doors as police searched for the killer.
Kowalski owned six 9 mm pistols at the time of the killing, including one that was sold to a gun dealership in Millheim nearly 10 months after the shooting, police wrote.
The firearm had several forensic similarities to the weapon used to killed Tuggy, though a report from a state police firearm and tool mark examiner said bullet comparisons were “inconclusive due to insufficient matching individual characteristics and mutilations.”
Kowalski moved from State College to South Carolina in 2016. Interviews with at least two of Tuggy’s friends and information from a church he attended also led police to Kowalski.
He was arrested Monday and is set to be extradited to the Keystone State for prosecution. A preliminary arraignment has not yet been scheduled.
A defense lawyer for Kowalski was not listed on a court document.
“I hope the arrest will help bring closure for Jean’s family and friends, as well as the community,” Ferguson Township police Chief Chris Albright said. “... Investigators worked diligently to solve this crime.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 6:40 PM.