Derry Township man on trial, accused of installing trip wire on stairs to kill wife

The fate of a Derry Township man hinges on whom jurors believe.

Prosecutors plan to present evidence during trial this week that William Joseph Dankesreiter Jr., 63, set up a trip wire at the top of his basement steps three years ago in hopes that his wife would fall down a wooden staircase to her death, Assistant District Attorney Amanda Rubin said.

Witnesses will be called to testify about an apparent relationship Dankesreiter was having with another woman.

“His happiness and sexual satisfaction were more important than Laura (Dankesreiter),” Rubin said Monday during opening statements in Westmoreland County court.

But the defense intends to show jurors that questions surround Laura Dankesreiter’s statements and the state police investigation. She gave the troopers every piece of evidence they needed to make an arrest, attorney Mike Ferguson said.

“They assumed every word that came out of Laura’s mouth, when they showed up, was true,” Ferguson told the jury. “They never challenged and apparently never thought about what Laura Dankesreiter’s story was. The never held it up to the light, never considered he didn’t do this.”

William Dankesreiter, also known as B.J., was arrested three years ago on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. Police said they found the trip wire installed at the top of the Caldwell Lane home’s basement steps.

Laura Dankesreiter told investigators that she tripped on it Oct. 2, 2020 while heading into the basement to get something from a freezer for breakfast, but was able to catch herself before she fell. A piece of fishing line was secured to the walls with two metal eye hooks about 3 inches above the carpet, according to court papers.

A jury was selected Monday.

Rubin said Laura Dankesreiter will testify about her Saturday morning routine, what prosecutors described as a declining marriage and what she did after tripping until police arrived several hours later. Troopers will be put on the stand to discuss the investigation and how they found evidence that William Dankesreiter bought eye hooks a few weeks earlier.

Prosecutors claim that William Dankesreiter intended to kill his wife and collect a $300,000 life insurance policy.

“Her actions after don’t point to a set up,” Rubin said. “She had nothing to gain by doing this to the defendant.”

The defense plans to refute evidence about the supposed other woman and raise questions about how Laura Dankesreiter was able to stop herself from falling down the steps. William Dankesreiter had an extensive work bench in the basement and it wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to buy eye hooks.

“It was his livelihood and it was his hobby — he loved to work with his hands,” Ferguson said.