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WILKES-BARRE — A city man has been arrested in the stabbing death of a 49-year-old homeless man whose body was found in the woods behind the K-Mart in Edwardsville late last month.
Daniel Elias Holtslander, 38, was arrested Thursday evening and charged with criminal homicide in the death of Kurt Swan, according to a police report. Holtslander was arrested at a residence on North Hancock Street in Wilkes-Barre around 6:40 p.m. Thursday. His current address is listed as Brook Street.
The Pennsylvania State Police Troop P major case team and Wilkes-Barre City Police Department assisted with the arrest of Holtslander.
Previous police reports said Swan’s body was found behind the Kmart in Edwardsville at about 8:17 a.m. June 25. Swan’s death was ruled a homicide and was investigated by both state police police and Edwardsville Borough police.
According to the criminal complaint:
Holtslander admitted to killing Swan during an interrogation at the Wyoming barracks.
Holtslander said he frequently slept, “weaponized,” in his truck, a 1998 Chevrolet, behind R&H Manufacturing. Holtslander said Swan bumped his truck and began to crawl toward Holtslander. Holtslander said he “lashed out,” stabbing Swan with two knives.
Holtslander said he considered Swan a “friend.”
During the interrogation, Holtslander explained he cleared the scene, looking for anything with blood on it and burned it, including Swan’s clothing. He placed Swan’s body onto a tarp and pushed it over an embankment and then burned the tarp. Holtslander stayed at the pit until the fire went out. He then traveled to the North Hancock Street residence, taking the knives apart and cleaning them.
A confidential informant confirmed that Holtslander wore two sheath fix knives – one on each side of his body. Holtslander asked the informant “how long does it take a body to decompose?” and that he may have killed someone because he was trying to steal from the back of his truck.
Holtslander is lodged at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility as there is no bail for a criminal homicide charge. His formal arraignment is scheduled for 1 p.m. July 20 in front of District Magistrate Paul Roberts.
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