A man has been sentenced to a 43 to 100-year prison term after being found guilty of injecting fentanyl into an individual believed to be a police informant before pushing him off a bridge. Steven Gaddis, 28, admitted to charges of conspiracy to commit third-degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and witness intimidation in connection to the death of Matthew Whisman, 25.
Whisman was declared missing in 2024 and later confirmed deceased in August of the same year when his remains were discovered along a hiking trail in Maryland, Pennsylvania. Authorities in Pennsylvania revealed that Whisman had been forcibly administered a lethal dose of fentanyl and subsequently thrown off a bridge where he succumbed to an overdose.
According to reports from Law & Crime, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office disclosed that Whisman had been assisting law enforcement in investigating gunfire incidents at his brother’s Maryland residence in January 2024. On April 3 of that year, Gaddis allegedly went through Whisman’s phone at a residence in East Drumore Township, Pennsylvania, after discovering his cooperation with the police.
Prosecutors claim that following this discovery, Gaddis, along with the victim’s cousins Jeremy Absher and Alexander Whisman, physically assaulted Matthew before coercing him to clean up. Subsequently, they allegedly transferred him to a basement where he was fed while Gaddis menacingly commented, “How would you feel if it’s your last supper.”
State Police reported that at this point, Matthew displayed distress, and the trio forced him into a vehicle and administered a fatal dose of fentanyl, leading to his demise. It is alleged that Gaddis and Absher disposed of Whisman’s body off a bridge. Whisman’s disappearance was only reported months later in July when his mother raised concerns about his absence. It is claimed that the perpetrators threw him off the bridge when passing by the Conowingo Creek as he overdosed.
The three individuals were charged with multiple offenses related to Whisman’s death, including murder, kidnapping for criminal purposes, and witness intimidation. While Gaddis pleaded guilty, the other suspects are still undergoing legal proceedings.
