The Bride. The Groom. The Only Witness. A new JACKLIGHTER excerpt.

What happened to the couple in this photo?

This week, I found a photo I forgot I had.

It’s a 3½-inch-square, faded color snapshot of a glorious 1968 wedding party—nearly 20 people posed on a sunlit lawn in Binghamton, NY, the bride stunning in white lace and a full veil, the groom beaming beside her. Two flower girls in floor-length dresses. Seven bridesmaids in pink chiffon. Seven groomsmen in dark tuxedos. And one small ring bearer in a child’s dark suit, white knee socks, and a flowing pilgrim collar, holding the ring pillow like his life depended on it.

I have this photo because that ring bearer was my husband’s childhood best friend (and still is).

The groom’s name was Marty Dillon. Eight years after this photo was taken, Marty died in a 1976 “hunting accident”—with one witness. Then that witness, Dr. Steve Scher, married Marty’s widow and raised her two children, living a stolen life for 20 years. Meanwhile, Marty’s father, Larry Dillon, the town’s mayor, never stopped fighting for justice.

That’s the story at the heart of my new true crime book, THE JACKLIGHTER.

My research for this book goes back more than 30 years—first as a journalist in the mid-1990s, then as an indie author who finally has the tools, the time, and the determination to get it done. Back then, I was, by marriage, an almost-insider in Montrose, the small Pennsylvania town where this drama played out, where everyone knew everyone, and nothing about this case stayed secret forever.

Finding this photo inspired me to write a new narrative passage for the book:

My husband’s best friend growing up, a neighbor of the Karveller family, was Patty’s and Marty’s adorable ring bearer in 1968, and the reason I possess a 3½-inch square, faded photo of the couple’s glorious wedding party.

Marty and his new wife, Patty, stunning in her white lace gown and full veil, are flanked on one side by seven bridesmaids (including Marty’s sister Joann), all of whom wore smaller veils and pink chiffon gowns with pilgrim collars and three ribbons of lace at the hem. On the other side of the smiling couple are seven groomsmen, outfitted in dark tuxedos and bow ties to match Marty’s. Two sweet flower girls in floor-length lace dresses and gloves stand in front of the groomsmen, while my husband’s boyhood friend, in a child’s dark suit with shorts, white knee socks, and a flowing pilgrim collar, holds the ring pillow in front of the bridesmaids.

In 2026, when I unearthed this long-forgotten photo and a second close-up of the three youngest participants, I immediately texted copies to the grown-up ring bearer and his wife. This spawned a good one-hour chuckle over vintage outfits, a bowl haircut, and cherub faces that graced a now somewhat infamous wedding party nearly 60 years ago.

THE JACKLIGHTER can be pre-ordered on Kickstarter right now 🍀

If you’ve been following along, this is the moment. If you’re new here, this is a deeply reported true crime book about murder, betrayal, and justice in Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains — and your pledge, at any level, helps make it real.

👉 Pre-order and pledge for THE JACKLIGHTER on Kickstarter

As always, thank you for your support ✨

— Carla

Carla Conti

Carla Conti is a journalist and the award-winning author of Chained Birds: A Crimemoir. Her next true crime book, The Jacklighter, is set for release in 2026. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, who supports her true crime habit.