Catherine VanderVeur, 69, was killed on July 16, 1982, in Villanova, Pennsylvania. She worked as the housekeeper for Courtlandt S. Gross and his wife Alexandra Gross; all three were found shot to death in the Grosses’ home after intruders forcibly entered. Reports say there was no obvious sign of a struggle and that the victims appeared to have been killed instantly upon encountering the intruders. Ballistics tied bullets and shell casings from the scene to two earlier armed robberies.

On September 8, 1982, Roger Peter Buehl was arrested and charged in connection with the killings and related offenses including burglary and robbery. He was later convicted of first-degree murder on three counts and sentenced to death. The killings attracted substantial media attention at the time because of the victims’ profiles and the violent nature of the crime.