Shivangi Sinha
Lifetime’s ‘Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story’ follows the disturbing journey of Alyssa Pladl, who enters a relationship with Steven Pladl when she is just a teenager. After giving birth to their daughter, Alyssa grows uneasy about the child’s safety and decides to place her for adoption. Eighteen years later, their daughter reaches out to reconnect, and it triggers a shocking chain of events that ends in tragedy for many. Directed by Elisabeth Röhm, the film explores themes of toxic control, broken family bonds, and the devastating consequences of hidden abuse.
Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story is Based on a Real Family From Texas
‘Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story’ deals with many complex and fragile themes, but it does so with care. It is not a product of fiction but is rooted in real-life events. Written by Stephen Tolkin, the film draws its narrative straight from actual headlines. The chain of events began in 1995, when 15-year-old Alyssa Garcia, a teenager living in San Antonio, Texas, connected online with 20-year-old Steven Walter Pladl. What started as casual digital exchanges quickly escalated into an intimate relationship. Alyssa came to believe she had found the man she would marry. Years later, she would reveal that she felt she had been manipulated and groomed.
The young pair fled to New York to start a new life together, and soon, Alyssa became pregnant. The two eventually settled down, and on January 29, 1998, she gave birth to their daughter, Denise Pladl. According to multiple reports, Steven’s behavior shifted dramatically. He allegedly developed a violent temper and became abusive not only toward Alyssa but also their infant daughter. She later recounted many instances and said that Steven would pinch the baby so forcefully that it left visible bruises. He allegedly even once placed the child inside a cooler, nearly causing her to suffocate.
Terrified for her daughter’s safety, Alyssa came to believe that the only way to protect her child truly was to separate her from the dangerous environment. She made the agonizing choice to place Denise up for adoption. To her family, she explained her actions by citing struggles with mental health, but privately, she said her sole motivation was to ensure her daughter’s well-being. The baby was adopted by Anthony “Tony” and Kelly Fusco, who raised her in Wingdale, New York, under the name Katie Rose Fusco. She thrived and developed a strong love for the arts. She even became a devoted older sister to Nicole Anne Fusco and spent her years in a supportive and nurturing home.
Katie Fusco Chose to Move in With Her Biological Parents Instead of Going to College
Meanwhile, Alyssa Pladl’s own life continued to move forward. She officially married Steven Pladl in 2006, and the couple went on to have two more daughters while residing in Richmond, Virginia. However, she later claimed that her then-husband’s abusive tendencies never disappeared. She accused him of continued emotional manipulation and said she was often left to shoulder the financial burden alone and had to juggle multiple jobs to keep the family afloat. Back in New York, Katie Fusco graduated from Dover High School in 2016 with ambitions of entering the field of digital advertising. She also expressed a growing interest in reconnecting with her biological parents.
18-year-old Katie reached out to her birth mother through Facebook. Along with a heartfelt message, she shared links from a genealogy site to confirm her identity. Their long-awaited reunion took place in June 2016 in Knightdale, North Carolina. After spending time together, Katie revealed she wanted to delay college and instead live with her biological parents for a while. By August 2016, she had moved into the Pladl family home in Henrico County, Virginia, where Steven and Alyssa were raising their two younger daughters, then ages 8 and 12. But the family dynamic began to shift. According to Alyssa, Katie mainly remained at home, and her then-husband’s behavior grew increasingly strange.
Steven started paying more attention to his appearance, joined a gym, and eventually began sleeping on the floor of Katie’s room. Alyssa worked as a supervisor at T-Mobile and had to provide for the whole family. Feeling deeply disturbed and overwhelmed, she made the difficult decision to leave the house with her two younger daughters and filed for divorce in March 2017. Katie and Steven got married on July 20, 2017, in Parkton, Maryland. To make the union legally possible, they reportedly provided false details on their marriage certificate to conceal their biological relationship. Both Katie’s adoptive parents and Steven’s mother were present at the wedding. On September 1, 2017, Katie gave birth to a son, Bennett Kieron Pladl.
Steven Pladl and Katie Fusco’s Relationship Saw a Tragic End
The new family of three began living together in Knightdale, North Carolina. Alyssa Pladl learned about the situation from her younger daughters, who told her that Steven referred to the baby as “his” and instructed them to call Katie their stepmother. Alarmed and fearing for her daughters’ safety, Alyssa sought a protective order against her former husband and reported the unlawful relationship to authorities. In January 2018, both Katie and Steven were taken into custody on incest charges. Although they secured release on bail shortly afterward, the court imposed a strict no-contact order to keep them apart. Their baby was placed under the care of Steven’s mother, while Katie moved back in with her adoptive parents in New York.
Despite the court order, reports suggest that Katie eventually broke the no-contact condition by calling Steven. She allegedly told him she wanted to end their relationship, and that call is believed to have sent Steven into a downward emotional spiral. On the evening of April 11, 2018, he visited his mother’s home and asked if he could take Bennett to see Katie. Instead, he took the 7-month-old to his own home, strangled him, and hid the remains in a closet. On the morning of April 12, he drove to Dover, New York, where Katie and her adoptive father, Tony Fusco, were getting ready to travel to Waterbury, Connecticut, to visit Tony’s mother. He followed them quietly before fatally shooting them with an Aero AR-15-style assault rifle.
The Movie Underscores the Lasting Scars That Hidden Abuse Can Inflict
Shortly after committing the double murder, Steven Pladl called his mother and confessed to his actions. He then turned the gun on himself, ending his life in his car, not far from the scene of the earlier shootings. Alyssa learned of the horrifying events as they unfolded through news broadcasts. The shock was immense. Choosing to grieve privately and avoid media attention, she did not attend Katie’s memorial service but sent flowers and paid her respects in her own way. In later interviews, Alyssa reflected on the nightmare her family had endured, saying that if there was any small consolation, it was the hope that this tragedy might lead to greater awareness and better legal action surrounding incest and familial abuse.
‘Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story’ handles this unfortunate real-life case with commendable care and sensitivity. Instead of chasing shock value, the film dives deep into the quiet devastation and lasting emotional scars carried by Alyssa Garcia. The film does not attempt to glamorize or exploit the horror at its core. Instead, it gives voice to a woman who tried to do what was best for her child, only to face consequences no parent should have to endure.
Read More: Alyssa Pladl: Where is Steven Pladl’s Ex-Wife Now?
