Police seized 54 guns from the home of an 18-year-old man charged with killing his girlfriend’s parents and fleeing the state with her, according to court documents filed Thursday.
Warwick Township police removed the collection of rifles, shotguns, handguns and ammunition Sunday from the home where suspect David Ludwig lived with his parents. The search occurred as police were still trying to find him and 14-year-old Kara Beth Borden.
Ludwig was being held without bail on murder and kidnapping charges after being flown back to Pennsylvania on Tuesday from Indiana, where police captured him following a chase.
Police allege Ludwig shot Michael and Cathryn Borden on Sunday at their home in Lititz following an argument over his relationship with Kara. The two had been dating, apparently secretly, according to friends and witnesses.
Ludwig was arrested Monday after crashing his parents’ car into a tree in Belleville, Ind., about 600 miles from the murder scene, during a police chase. Neither Ludwig nor the girl, who has not been charged, was injured in the crash.
Investigators have said they are treating Kara Borden as a victim but that the investigation is continuing.
Ludwig’s parents, Gregory and Jane Ludwig, issued a statement Wednesday expressing their sorrow over the slayings but have not spoken publicly. They have not returned multiple phone messages seeking comment.
It was unclear whether the confiscated weapons belonged to Ludwig or his parents.
Teen liked to hunt
David Ludwig apparently was an avid hunter and posted 20 pictures labeled “Hunting 2004” on a Web site that included an image of him posing with freshly killed deer.
Neither of Ludwig’s parents is licensed as a firearms dealer or collector, according to the national licensing center of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Police were not immediately available Thursday to comment on the search. Lancaster County District Attorney Donald Totaro declined to comment, and attorneys for Ludwig did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.
The Bordens were each shot once in the head with what authorities said was probably a .40-caliber handgun.
Mike Borden worked for a printing company, and his children were home-schooled, said neighbor Tod Sherman. Sherman said the family knew Ludwig through a home-schooling network.
Kara’s 13-year-old sister, Katelyn, told investigators her parents were shot after they argued with Ludwig for about an hour, according to court papers.
