Man Who Killed Bucks Co. Girl Had Long History Of Abuse, Violence, New Details Reveal

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — For more than six decades, authorities in Bucks County tried to find the killer of 9-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty. But then came the crucial breakthrough.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn identified William Schrader as the person who raped and killed Ann Dougherty inside St. Mark’s Church in Bristol on Oct. 22, 1962.

What finally broke the case, authorities said, was Schrader's confession to his stepson.

A grand jury recently reviewed decades-old evidence and recent investigative developments, delivering a 53-page report of its findings on Schrader, who died in 2002.

The findings stemmed from several key pieces of evidence, including eyewitness statements, a confession by Schrader to a friend, and forensic evidence.

On the afternoon of Oct. 22, 1962, Dougherty left her home to meet friends at the Bristol Borough Free Library. She was an avid reader and was excited to return the books she had just finished so she could check out the next books in the mystery series that she so loved, authorities said.

She rode her bicycle from her home, stopped to get a Coke and penny candy at Tommy’s on Farragut Avenue, and then was seen traveling down Lincoln Avenue, authorities said. She was last seen alive outside of the doors to St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church, authorities said.

When she didn’t return in time for dinner, her parents became worried and went looking for her. Her father found her body inside the church, and investigators determined she had been forcibly raped and strangled to death with the use of a ligature.

At the time of the murder, Schrader lived on Lincoln Avenue, a block and a half from the church located at 1025 Radcliffe Street. A witness reportedly saw him outside the church around the time of the murder, authorities said.

Following the crime, he was questioned by police, provided a pubic hair sample, and failed a polygraph test. He was also found to have lied about his alibi, with timecards proving he was not at work on the day of the murder.

Shortly after being questioned, Schrader fled to Florida, where he lived for a year before bouncing around Texas and Louisiana, eventually settling in Houma, LA., where he lived most of his life, authorities said.

In 1993, results from the pubic hair sample collected from Schrader showed "significant similarities" to hair found clutched in Dougherty's hand.

Of the pubic hair samples collected from 176 men over the decades, 141 were tested, authorities said. All other individuals were eliminated except for Schrader.

Authorities also said that the Lucky Strike cigarettes found at the crime scene were the same brand Schrader was known to smoke.

Twenty years later came a crucial breakthrough, Schorn said.

Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and the Pennsylvania State Police investigators interviewed Robert Leblanc, Schrader’s stepson, in November 2024.

During the interview, Leblanc revealed that Schrader had confessed to him on two separate occasions that he had murdered a little girl in a Pennsylvania church. Schrader specifically told Leblanc that he lured the girl inside the church, raped her, and “had to kill the girl in Bristol to keep her from talking.”

Authorities said Leblanc had no prior knowledge of the case's specific details, such as Schrader being seen outside the church, his proximity to the crime scene, or the location of Dougherty's bike.

"This makes his account highly credible, as the details he provided could only have come from a confession by the perpetrator," Schorn said.

Schrader's life was marked by a pattern of violence and sexual violence, particularly against young, pre-pubescent, and adolescent females. His criminal history, spanning multiple states, included assaults with deadly weapons.

In 1985, he was convicted of manslaughter and arson in Louisiana of the death of 12-year-old Catherine Smith after he intentionally set fire to his house, knowing she and other family members were inside.

Court records show there was a 15-year delay in Schrader's prosecution to his appeal on some trial errors. Authorities said he was convicted and served 21 years in prison.

Further investigation revealed that Schrader had sexually abused nearly every female child he lived with or had access to, including his own biological daughter and granddaughters.

The majority of the victims were between the ages of 6 and 13. He also sexually abused two adult women who had cognitive delays such that they lacked the ability to consent, authorities said.

(Bucks County District Attorney's Office)