Man convicted of sex assault

August 22, 2003
Man who faked his own death convicted of sex assault
A South Carolina man who cut out his pacemaker as part of an attempt to fake his own death earlier this year was convicted of the sexual assault charges authorities said he was trying to evade.

A jury in Erie deliberated for little more than an hour Wednesday before finding former prison guard Steve Lukowich guilty of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl in 1998 and 1999.

Prosecutors credited testimony from Lukowich's victim for his conviction on sex charges, including indecent assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of minors.

"There was no question they believed the little girl's story. She's been waiting a long time," said prosecutor Damon Hopkins.

Much of the testimony during his two-day trial focused on Lukowich's disappearances earlier this year and last year.

Sheriff's deputies in Jasper County, S.C., found his pickup truck abandoned on a roadway in January with the keys inside and a trace of blood smeared on the rear window. His pacemaker and a piece of skin were later sent to his wife along with a note saying the "beast of the children" had been killed.

Lukowich was arrested in Erie in April when his mother convinced him to surrender.

On the stand, Lukowich testified that he faked his death because he could not find steady work and wanted his wife to get insurance money.

Lukowich's attorney, Keith Clelland, argued that the molestation allegations stemmed from a legal dispute between Lukowich and the girl's mother, who he maintained had threatened him with the charges before.

Lukowich could be labeled a sexually violent predator when he is sentenced Sept. 25.

Lukowich, who moved to South Carolina from Erie in 1999, was also reported missing in October after workers found a drill in the water near a dock he was fixing. Divers searched until he returned home the next day, saying he had been knocked unconscious and fallen into the water, but later awoke and swam to shore.