Rickie Gaddis, the notorious former Johnstown resident convicted in the horrific 1991 abuse of his children, has died at the State Correctional Institution Rockview. Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers reported the 68-year-old Gaddis died of natural causes on Friday afternoon at the facility’s infirmary, where he was being treated for existing health issues. Gaddis received one of the longest sentences in Pennsylvania history for his crimes. A jury found him guilty in 1992 of over 100 charges, which included aggravated assault, corruption of minors, rape, and incest. His 1993 sentence was between 235 and 470 years in prison. The abuse case garnered national attention due to its brutality, and the unspeakable living conditions his seven children were forced to endure in their Kernville apartment. During the trial, prosecutors detailed how Gaddis and his wife subjected the children to systematic physical and sexual torture, forced bloodlettings, and neglect. The abuse was exposed when one of his young daughters, then 12, fled the home and reported the horrifying ordeal.
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