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Neighbors react to Kingston homicide arrest

Walter Zolner is behind bars, out of the neighborhood where police say he kept weapons, body armor, and a journal in which he admitted to killing his neighbor.

KINGSTON, Pa. — "Just the shock, you don't hear about too much like that on this street," said Alex Shedletsky.

It's the reaction Shedletsky and others who live on East Bennett Street are having after learning that a neighbor is connected to the murder of Ryan Padovani.

"The other neighbors knew Walt, Walter. I didn't know him or the guy that got killed," explained Shedletsky.

Walter Zolner III was charged Thursday by Kingston police after a lengthy investigation which discovered firearms, body armor, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a journal where police say Zolner admitted to being responsible for Padovani's death.

For Gordon Dussinger, this is a far cry from the Walter Zolner he once taught in high school.

"He and his family, I know them quite well. I can't say enough good things. He was an excellent student, really smart," Dunssinger said.

In the days prior to Padovani's death, Zolner posted a video to YouTube, saying he was possessed by a demon and that he was looking to find an exorcist.

A neighbor who wishes to remain anonymous said the news of Zolner's arrest means the neighborhood can start to go back to the way it was.

"I'm sure everyone is talking about the YouTube videos which I've seen. The whole idea of being possessed, and It's awful," they said. "I feel bad that the kid next door got caught in the crossfire, but at the same time, thank god it didn't go to anything worse. They got him, and he's locked away now."

At the time of his arrest, Police say Zolner expressed in his journal about going on a rampage, perhaps against law enforcement.

He's being held in the Luzerne County Jail.

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