Tag:

Life sentence

PA Woman Who Shot, Dismembered Parents With Chainsaw Sentenced: DA PA Woman Who Shot, Dismembered Parents With Chainsaw Sentenced: DA
PA Woman Who Shot, Dismembered Parents With Chainsaw Sentenced: DA An Abington woman charged with shooting her parents and dismembering their bodies with a chainsaw was sentenced Monday, Sept. 30, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office told Daily Voice the following day. Verity Beck, 45, pleaded "guilty but mentally ill" to two first-degree murder counts, the district attorney's office said. She was given two life sentences that will be served concurrently.  Beck will also receive mental health treatment while serving her prison time, according to the district attorney's office. Beck's parents were found dead in their Jenkintown home on Tue…
PA Man Pleads No Contest In Sword Slaying Of Parents, Dogs: Court Docs PA Man Pleads No Contest In Sword Slaying Of Parents, Dogs: Court Docs
PA Man Pleads No Contest In Sword Slaying Of Parents, Dogs: Court Docs A 43-year-old man who was accused of killing his parents and the family dogs with a sword entered a plea of no contest in September 2024. His trial was supposed to start Monday, Sept. 16. Levar Fountain was 38-years-old when he supposedly had a mental health episode and killed his father, John Fountain, 74, and stepmother, Mary Fountain, 65, the dogs at the home they shared in the 300 block of Wallace Street in York on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. The bodies were found in the basement, covered with sheets when a relative came to check on the Fountains, police detailed in the affidavit of p…
'Violent Predator' Gets Life For Killing Bucks County Co-Worker, Dumping Body In MD 'Violent Predator' Gets Life For Killing Bucks County Co-Worker, Dumping Body In MD
'Violent Predator' Gets Life For Killing Bucks County Co-Worker, Dumping Body In MD A man described by authorities as a "violent predator" was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Monday, Sept. 9 for kidnapping, robbing, and killing a Pennsylvania co-worker, authorities announced. Michael Allen Stark, 50, of Royersford, PA was found guilty by a Bucks County jury of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping, theft by unlawful taking, flight to avoid apprehension, and abuse of a corpse, according to District Attorney Jennifer Schorn and court records. Stark's victim was 50-year-old Matthew James Branning of Sellersville, who went missing after l…
Convicted Killer Pleads Guilty To Escape Charges After Eluding Authorities For Weeks In PA Convicted Killer Pleads Guilty To Escape Charges After Eluding Authorities For Weeks In PA
Convicted Killer Pleads Guilty To Escape Charges After Eluding Authorities For Weeks In PA A convicted killer who eluded authorities for nearly two weeks last year in Pennsylvania has pleaded guilty to escape charges, authorities said. A nationwide manhunt for Danilo Cavalcante, 35, a native of Brazil, ended on Sept. 13, 2023, with his capture. He was found hiding under foliage within a search perimeter in northern Chester County, as previously reported by Daily Voice. Cavalcante escaped from Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township while awaiting a transfer to state prison to serve a life sentence for killing his ex-girlfriend. Cavalcante pleaded guilty to charges of burglary…
Man Serving Life Sentence Killed By Inmate In State Prison Cell: Montco DA Man Serving Life Sentence Killed By Inmate In State Prison Cell: Montco DA
Man Serving Life Sentence Killed By Inmate In State Prison Cell: Montco DA A 42-year-old inmate has been charged in the killing of another inmate at the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution Phoenix, authorities said. Dwight Williams was charged with First-Degree Murder and Third-Degree Murder for the death of 67-year-old inmate Ashokkumar Guru in his cell on Sunday, Aug. 4, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Pennsylvania State Police Captain Gerard B. McShea. They gave the following account of the attack: Correctional officers were alerted at 9:31 a.m. by an inmate that he had returned to his cell…
Allentown Man Killed The Mother Of His Children, Lehigh Jury Finds Allentown Man Killed The Mother Of His Children, Lehigh Jury Finds
Allentown Man Killed The Mother Of His Children, Lehigh Jury Finds A Lehigh County jury convicted Rami Abouloh for the murder of Patricia White, with whom he had four children, the District Attorney's Office said Friday, May 31.  Abouloh, 41, is set to be sentenced in August. A conviction for first-degree murder is an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole, according to prosecutors. Authorities were called to West Catasauqua Park just before 7 p.m. last June 13, Daily Voice reported. They arrived to find White, 35, unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds.  Her death was ruled a homicide by the county Coroner's Offi…
Realtor Who Killed Her Father, His Girlfriend In Jersey Shore Home Sentenced: Prosecutors Realtor Who Killed Her Father, His Girlfriend In Jersey Shore Home Sentenced: Prosecutors
Realtor Who Killed Her Father, His Girlfriend In Jersey Shore Home Sentenced: Prosecutors A Pennsylvania realtor convicted of killing her father and his girlfriend on the Jersey Shore will spend the rest of her life in state prison, authorities said. Sherry Lee Heffernan, 57, of Landenberg, PA, received two life sentences on Friday, May 10, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. After a four-week trial, a jury found her guilty of two murder charges on Friday, Mar. 1. Prosecutors said Heffernan killed 87-year-old John Enders of Surf City and 75-year-old Francoise Pitoy of Manchester back in September 2021. "This defendant will …
Life Sentence For NJ Killer Who Dumped Victim's Body On PA Highway: Prosecutors Life Sentence For NJ Killer Who Dumped Victim's Body On PA Highway: Prosecutors
Robert Christie Gets Life For 2020 Murder Of Joshua McRae A man convicted in a 2020 Bristol Township murder received a life sentence in a Bucks County court on Tuesday, Jan. 23, according to the District Attorney's Office.  A jury found Robert S. Christie, 37, of Trenton, New Jersey, guilty in the first-degree murder of Joshua McRae back in October, prosecutors said.  Police found the body of McRae, 31, also of Trenton, on the shoulder of I-295 near the I-95 interchange early on Jan. 19, 2020, Daily Voice reported. Prosecutors said he had been shot five times.  Investigators later found that McRae, Christie, and two other men had v…
Gunman Gets Life In Prison For Murder Of Pennsylvania Dad Gunman Gets Life In Prison For Murder Of Pennsylvania Dad
Gunman Gets Life In Prison For Murder Of Pennsylvania Dad A Philadelphia man convicted of killing his mother's ex-boyfriend will spend the rest of his life in prison, a Bucks County judge ruled last week.  Kahlill Saleem Brown, 34, was convicted in July for the murder of 52-year-old Christopher M. Wilson.  Wilson and Brown's mother Joyce Brown-Rodriguez had been "romantically involved" since about 2018 before Wilson ended the relationship, authorities said previously.  The 52-year-old had confided in a co-worker that he was trying to get her to leave him alone and had said he was going to contact her estranged husband to let h…
Bucks Wendy's Employee Who Stabbed Coworker To Death Gets Sentenced Bucks Wendy's Employee Who Stabbed Coworker To Death Gets Sentenced
Bucks Wendy's Employee Who Stabbed Coworker To Death Gets Sentenced The one-time Wendy's employee convicted of stabbing his coworker to death in a Bensalem parking lot will spend the rest of his life behind bars, a Bucks County judge has ruled.  Dominique Harris, 31, of Philadelphia, received a mandatory life sentence without parole on Thursday, June 1, District Attorney Matthew Weintraub's Office announced in a statement.  He was convicted of first-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime after two hours of jury deliberations in April, Daily Voice then reported.  At trial, jurors were told that Harris was employed at a Bensa…
Arsonist Who Killed 81-Year-Old Bucks Man Learns Sentence Arsonist Who Killed 81-Year-Old Bucks Man Learns Sentence
Arsonist Who Killed 81-Year-Old Bucks Man Learns Sentence The convicted arsonist who torched a Bucks County home and killed its 81-year-old owner will spend the rest of his life behind bars, a court has ruled.  Christopher Gillie, 62, of Lackawanna County, pleaded guilty in exchange for a life sentence without the possibility of parole on Tuesday, Feb. 7, said District Attorney Matthew Weintraub in a statement.  The charges stemmed from the 2021 fire that killed his girlfriend's father, 81-year-old Julius Drelick, in his Buckingham Township home. First responders were called to Drelick's 5777 Private Drive residence at 3 a.m. on Dec. 5 a…
Life In Prison For PA Arsonist Who Killed Man Clinging To His Own Vehicle Life In Prison For PA Arsonist Who Killed Man Clinging To His Own Vehicle
Life In Prison For PA Arsonist Who Killed Man Clinging To His Own Vehicle A convicted arsonist and killer in Lancaster County will spend the rest of his days in prison for a crime spree that ended with a man's death three years ago, a judge has ruled.  Javen T. Jackson, 24, was sentenced to life plus four-to-10 years at a hearing on Dec. 20, said county District Attorney Heather Adams in a statement.  At his trial in October, prosecutors said Jackson set fire to a New Holland apartment building on Nov. 10, 2019. Jurors heard from building residents who described waking up to find their apartments filled with smoke and rushing to safety with their young …
PA Man Gets Life In Prison For Strangulation Death Of Woman Who 'Feared For Her Life' PA Man Gets Life In Prison For Strangulation Death Of Woman Who 'Feared For Her Life'
PA Man Gets Life In Prison For Strangulation Death Of Woman Who 'Feared For Her Life' A Pennsylvania man convicted of first-degree murder in the strangulation death of the woman with whom he shared a home was sentenced to life in prison, authorities said. Daniel Proffitt, 48, of Oxford, was found guilty but mentally ill in July 2021 on charges of murder and strangulation for his role in the 2018 killing of 64-year-old Anna Johnson, Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said. Johnson was found strangled to death by local and state police who were called to a Brick Road home in East Nottingham Township on Dec. 29, 2018, authorities said.  When they arrived, Proffitt,…
PA Dad Murdered By Convicted Killer Cellmate After Less Than One Month In Prison: Police PA Dad Murdered By Convicted Killer Cellmate After Less Than One Month In Prison: Police
PA Dad Murdered By Convicted Killer Cellmate After Less Than One Month In Prison: Police A dad of three who was found dead in his prison cell on Wednesday, May 4— after being in prison for less than one month— is now known to have been murdered, and Pennsylvania state police have charged his convicted killer cellmate with his homicide. David Vaughn Grier, 26, was serving a life sentence for murdering Kierra Johnson in Philadelphia in 2017, court records show. Joel Vanderpool, 39, of Towanda, was found unresponsive in his cell during staff rounds at State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill on Wednesday, May, 4, according to Superintendent Laurel Harry. "Emergency personnel w…
PA Man Gets Life Sentence In Murder Of 17-Year-Old Boy 'Who Died A Hero': DA PA Man Gets Life Sentence In Murder Of 17-Year-Old Boy 'Who Died A Hero': DA
PA Man Gets Life Sentence In Murder Of 17-Year-Old Boy 'Who Died A Hero': DA A Pennsylvania gunman who shot and killed a 17-year-old boy during a botched home invasion robbery in 2017 was sentenced to life in prison, authorities in Chester County said. Ricardo Rivera, 28, of Reading, was found guilty of second-degree murder, robbery, burglary, conspiracy, and related offenses, for the shooting death of 17-year-old David Doyle III (AKA Davy Mike) at a Pottstown home, Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan announced Monday, April 25. North Coventry officers responding to a report of a shooting at a home on Worth Boulevard on Sept. 24, found Doyle with a gunsho…
Imprisoned Gunman Who Killed Wife, Good Samaritan At Clifton Church Wants New Trial Imprisoned Gunman Who Killed Wife, Good Samaritan At Clifton Church Wants New Trial
Imprisoned Gunman Who Killed Wife, Good Samaritan At Clifton Church Wants New Trial A convict who's 10 years into serving two life sentences for shooting and killing his wife and a congregant at a Clifton church wants New Jersey's highest court to overturn his conviction. Joseph "Sanish" Pallipurath, 40, argues in an appeal to the state Supreme Court that his attorney should have mounted an insanity defense during his trial in Superior Court in Paterson in 2011. Reshma James, 24, had been trying to flee an abusive arranged marriage in India that continued after Pallipurath brought her back with him to California, prosecutors said at the time. James obtained a r…
Superior Court Up Holds First-Degree Murder Charge For Harrisburg Birthday Boy's Killer Superior Court Up Holds First-Degree Murder Charge For Harrisburg Birthday Boy's Killer
Superior Court Up Holds First-Degree Murder Charge For Harrisburg Birthday Boy's Killer A first-degree murder conviction for a 2018 killing outside a Harrisburg bar was upheld in the Superior Court on Thursday, according to PennLive. Now-44-year-old Charles Williams is serving a life sentence plus-10-years in prison for the shooting death of 20-year-old Jamal Washington outside of Double D’s Bar. The incident occurred on Washington’s birthday -- March 24. Williams is also convicted for attempted murder of one of Washington’s friends, who was shot 12 times that night, but survived. The appeal was made by Williams, claiming that prosecutors did not prove he was the gunma…
PA Judge Denies Compassionate Release For Killer Dying Of Stage 4 Cancer PA Judge Denies Compassionate Release For Killer Dying Of Stage 4 Cancer
PA Judge Denies Compassionate Release For Killer Dying Of Stage 4 Cancer A Dauphin County judge denied a compassionate release for an inmate dying of inoperable Stage 4 colon cancer who is serving a life sentence for murder, says PennLive. Earl Box, 74 is serving a life sentence for killing a Steelton man during a robbery in 1974, and had requested to be moved to his daughter’s Berks County home for hospice care. A state prison doctor estimated that Box has less than six months to live. Lifers getting released in Pennsylvania is unusual but not unheard of. For example, Joe Ligon, 83 of Philadelphia made national headlines in March when he released as a ju…