HARRISBURG, Pa. — A man charged with first degree murder in the death of a Preston County woman back in April is now reportedly about to face similar charges in Pennsylvania for the 2014 death of a Maine man.
John Wayne Strawser, Jr., 37, of Terra Alta, has been charged with first degree murder by prosecutors in Franklin County, Pa., in the death of Timothy “Asti” Davison, of Portland, Maine.
On January 4, 2014, Davison called 911 in both Franklin and Washington Counties while traveling north on I-81 near Greencastle, according to media reports.
The 28-year-old told operators he was being pursued and shot at by a pickup truck, possibly due to road rage. The driver had allegedly rammed into Davison and forced him across the medium, then shot and killed him.
A press conference was scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday in Harrisburg, Pa., for local authorities to go over the case and Strawser’s involvement.
Pennsylvania State Police were able to link Strawser to Davison’s murder after a tip from a pair of Bunker Hill natives. They informed police that Strawser had made threatening calls and left messages on the night of Davison’s murder, and they believed Strawser may have mistaken Davison’s vehicle for their own.
During the course of the investigation, Pennsylvania State Police were able to find what they believed to be the murder weapon and created a preliminary DNA profile from samples off a spent casing.
After Strawser’s arrest in Preston County, police were able to match his DNA to the DNA they acquired from the spent casing. They also discovered particles characteristic of gunshot residue in the driver’s side of Strawser’s Ford Ranger.
The Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office issued the following statement:
“By law, the processing of the criminal case in Franklin County, PA must necessarily wait until the conclusion of the Defendant’s case in West Virginia. Our complaint will go to the correctional facility holding the Defendant and act as a ‘detainer’ for us until such time. Once his case is completed in West Virginia, we will start from scratch up here in PA.”
In May, Stawser’s case in Preston County was advanced to a grand jury after a preliminary hearing on first degree murder charges.
He is accused of shooting to death Amy Lou Buckingham, 38, of Tunnelton, in her driveway. State police have said the motive was an ending relationship and Strawser gunned her down on April 16.
(Picture on previous page courtesy of Preston County News & Journal)