The New York State Police continue to investigate the August 1968 homicide of 25-year-old Donna Lee Hart.
On August 8, 1968, Hart was home alone at her residence on ST-29 between Dolgeville and Salisbury Center in Herkimer County. At approximately 12:45 a.m., Donna called her father, Richard Karla, at his residence located in the Village of Dolgeville, which was only a few miles away. Donna told her father that there was a man outside her residence wearing a stocking on his head and he was trying to break into her residence.
Mr. Karla responded immediately to Donna’s residence arriving at approximately 12:50 a.m. and started checking around the outside of the house in an attempt to locate the prowler. Karla found the front door locked and then heard several gunshots from within the residence.
Mr. Karla found the south side door had been forced open, so he entered the house. He observed the previously locked front door was open and realized the intruder left through that door as he was moving toward the south side.
Mr. Karla searched the small house and found his daughter deceased in an upstairs bedroom.
The responding troopers and investigators found the intruder had fired a round through a wall next to the south side door, then forced the door open to gain entry to the house. Donna had retreated upstairs to a spare bedroom where she hid in a closet. The killer ripped the closet doors open, shot Donna four times, and then ran down the stairs and out the front door.
Mr. Karla heard a vehicle leave the area and head toward the village of Dolgeville. The investigation determined the killer’s car had been parked approximately 350 yards away on Hopson Road.
The investigation also revealed that the gun used was a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol; however, the weapon has never been recovered.
Numerous leads were investigated and hundreds of people were interviewed regarding this murder; however, no arrest has ever been made.
Donna’s mother, Virginia Karla, is now 94 years old and says she has outlived most of her family and friends and believes she is still here for the purpose of finding out who murdered her daughter back in August of 1968 and why. Mrs. Karla and the New York State Police are hoping that someone still possesses information and is willing to come forward to assist in bringing the killer to justice.
Anyone with such information is asked to please contact Senior Investigator Reece S. Treen of the New York State Police Troop D Major Crimes Unit at 315.366.6003.