Latest news with #PennsylvaniaOfficeofAttorneyGeneral
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Corry man guilty in brutal killing of pregnant Amish woman, jury says
After deliberating for just over three hours on Thursday, a jury of 12 Crawford County residents found Shawn A. Cranston guilty in the murder of 23-year-old Rebekah Byler of Spartansburg and her unborn child during a burglary on Feb. 26, 2024. When he encountered Byler inside her residence in a rural area south of Spartansburg just after 10 a.m., Cranston brutally stabbed her, inflicting nine knife wounds to her neck, then shot her in the lower left forehead, according to testimony and evidence presented at the four-day trial. He then left her on the floor of her home as her 2-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son remained nearby. Byler's female fetus, which was approximately 21 to 25 weeks along, died about four to six minutes later. 'It is hard to fathom conduct more heinous than brutally killing a young expectant mother and her unborn child in her home,' Attorney General Dave Sunday said. 'Our homes are supposed to be our safe haven — this defendant violated the sanctity of home to commit these truly evil acts.' The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General took over the case from the short-staffed Crawford County District Attorney's office last fall due to its additional resources. The verdict came after prosecutors piled on evidence, calling 19 witnesses and showing jurors more than 120 supporting exhibits. Among the evidence were shoeprints and tire impressions consistent with shoes and tires used by Cranston; GPS logs, cellphone data and security camera videos offering extensive details of his activities on the day of the murder; testimony from another jail inmate who said Cranston confessed to the crime; and a small piece from a synthetic rubber glove bearing Cranston's DNA that was found in Byler's kitchen trash can. In the end, the sheer quantity of evidence pointing to Cranston's presence in the home, his alleged history of similar burglaries at Amish homes and his apparent attempts to cover up what he had done far outweighed any doubts raised by the complete absence of the gun used in the attack, the lack of a definitive identification of the knife used to stab Byler, and the fact that there was no evidence of Byler's blood being discovered on Cranston's shoes or other items of his found by police. In a closing argument that lasted approximately 45 minutes and was accompanied by a slideshow presentation, Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Evan Lowry led jurors through a systematic review of nearly three full days of testimony. Moments after defense attorney Louis Emmi had tried to question the significance of the glove scrap and the methods used to collect DNA from it, Lowry highlighted the item. Putting on rubber gloves of his own, Lowry held up to the jurors the black material covered with what witnesses described as a fish-scale pattern. 'This puts that man at the crime scene,' he said, his intensity and volume increasing. 'This puts that man inside Rebekah Byler's home.' Describing Cranston as 'cold beyond cold,' Lowry reminded jurors of the savage nature of the attack that killed Byler and said that Cranston could simply have turned around and left upon encountering Byler in a house he expected to be empty. 'Think about how cold this is,' he told the jury. 'We have a word for this — cold as cold can be — people who can do this in front of two children and then go to a gas station' as though nothing had happened. After repeatedly pointing to Cranston as he reviewed the evidence, Lowry revealed the word he had in mind as he finished his presentation with his arms extended wide to each side like a concert conductor marshaling the force of all the players in front of him. 'It becomes clear that the defendant is a murderer,' he concluded, 'and we would ask you to find him guilty of all charges.' Through much of Lowry's closing statement, Andy Byler, the husband who found his wife, Rebekah, upon returning home shortly after noon on the day she was killed, leaned forward on a bench in the courtroom behind the jury, nearly doubling over as he held his head in his hands. Lowry's methodical march through the state's witnesses came after Emmi rested the defense's case without calling any witnesses or offering any evidence. In a 23-minute closing argument that immediately preceded Lowry's presentation, Emmi led jurors on a meandering journey through reasons to be skeptical of certain evidence and possible alternative explanations to the interpretations of events offered by the prosecution. Acknowledging that it was a 'hard question,' Emmi directly addressed the question he assumed jurors must be asking themselves: 'Why is that glove there?' After questioning the methods used to collect the DNA and drawing attention to the presence of a small amount of DNA from an unknown person that was on the glove scrap along with Cranston's DNA, Emmi raised another question about the glove. 'There's something interesting about that glove and no one talked about it, not even me,' he said. 'Why, if it's such a horrific, violent scene, is there nothing of Rebekah Byler's on it?' Apologizing with a brief look to the nearly 40 spectators who filled the courtroom, many of them Amish, Emmi remained focused on the bloody nature of the crime scene and contrasted it with the piece of synthetic rubber glove found in the trash can. 'But again, no blood,' he said of the scrap. 'Why not? Why isn't there blood on that glove? Why isn't there blood on those sneakers?' He later returned to the sneakers as well. If Cranston, a Corry resident, was driving around the rural areas surrounding the city for hours disposing of evidence, as the prosecution suggested, why wouldn't he also dispose of sneakers that might have blood on them? And if Cranston did indeed wear the sneakers when he killed Byler, why didn't the sneakers have blood on them? Having raised various questions without offering an explanation for why a piece of glove with Cranston's DNA on it was in the Bylers' kitchen, Emmi reminded jurors, 'It's not my job to prove anything, not my client's job.' Even the extensive security video that the state compiled of Cranston on the day of the murder should raise questions, Emmi argued to the jury, pointing to video of Cranston at a Country Fair convenience store in Corry later that day. The supposed perpetrator of 'this heinous murder' appears in the video with 'no blood on his clothes,' Emmi said, and appears 'very calm' as though he is on 'a walk in the park.' Emmi made a similar attempt to appeal to the jury's skepticism in recalling Joseph Burch, the witness who told the jury Cranston described the killing to him when both were imprisoned in Crawford County jail. 'Is it logical that he's going to go into a jail and tell a person he doesn't know, 'I did all these things?'' the defense attorney asked. But where Emmi spent most of his effort raising questions, Lowry encouraged the jury of seven women and five men to use their common sense in addressing any skepticism they might experience. 'His DNA was at the residence because the defendant was at the residence,' he said, later adding in a voice that steadily rose in intensity, 'We have an abundance of evidence that all points and all fits that he killed Rebekah Byler.' In the end, there seemed to be little skepticism on the part of jury members. Just two hours and 20 minutes after beginning their deliberations — a period that included the designation of a foreman and a working lunch — jury members emerged with several questions regarding the difference between first and second degree charges of murder of an unborn child. 'Does the perpetrator (alleged) have to know she was pregnant to get charged for murder in the first degree in fetal case?' Judge Francis Schultz said, reading one of the questions. The attention to the distinction suggested the jury had already arrived at a guilty verdict on the murder of unborn child charge and was merely trying to settle on the particular grading of the charge. Less than 45 minutes later, the jury was back in the courtroom with its verdict. At 2:37 p.m., the foreman announced that Cranston was guilty of a first-degree felony in the murder of Rebekah Byler and a second-degree felony in the murder of Byler's fetus. He was also found guilty of burglary, a first-degree felony, and criminal trespass, a third-degree felony. A sentencing hearing in the case will be held July 28 before Schultz.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Altoona police continue targeting drug dealers from Philadelphia — 3 more arrested
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — Altoona police are continuing to work hard to keep drugs from reaching city streets from Philadelphia. In addition to multiple other recent arrests of Philadelphia residents, Altoona police arrested three men, two from Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 4. Amir Palmer-Kennedy, 20, Xavier Herring, 18, both from Philadelphia, and Raymone Kitchens, 22, of Altoona, were arrested during a traffic stop after narcotics officers received information about a dealer driving around Altoona in a silver Chevrolet Malibu. Police were able to find the Malibu and begin surveillance. According to Altoona Police, the vehicle was seen making numerous short stops at homes and businesses throughout the city. During a traffic stop, K9 Blue indicated narcotics in the Malibu. A search of the vehicle found 17 baggies stamped with the 'Chucky' doll head hidden behind a piece of trim in the car. Police noted that a total of $800 was also found, which contained previously recorded money from controlled purchases. Philadelphia duo arrested in Altoona with drugs after foot chase Officers explained the 'Chucky' bags of drugs contain a larger quantity of fentanyl than most others and cost twice as much.. Police added they've received information since the beginning of 2025 that these specific branded drugs were coming into Altoona from an area in Philadelphia. Narcotics officers noted that the 'Chucky' bags are responsible for multiple fentanyl overdoses in Altoona in 2025. All three men were arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver and conspiracy of possession with intent to deliver. Herring was also charged with a small amount of marijuana and paraphernalia, while Palmer-Kennedy was also charged with tampering with evidence, paraphernalia and a window tint violation. Both men were placed in Blair County Prison with bail set at $100,000 however, had his bail denied due to having warrants for his arrest related to drug charges in Philadelphia that he failed to appear for, court documents show. Altoona police also thanked the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and Pennsylvania State Police for their assistance. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
29-04-2025
- CBS News
Pennsylvania pet owners demand justice after funeral director accused of throwing out pets' bodies
Pet owners in Pittsburgh are fighting for answers after a funeral director threw out thousands of pets' bodies and gave people different ashes, prosecutors said on Monday. The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General says Patrick Vereb, the owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial, is accused of stealing more than $650,000 from over 6,500 customers who paid for pet burial and cremation services between 2021 and 2024. "I saw the story pinned from KDKA on Facebook," Kelly Goldman, of West Mifflin, said. Goldman started reading KDKA's articles and comments. "I saw his name, and I was like, Oh, my goodness," Goldman said. "I had worked at Michael's a long time ago, and he would come into the store a lot and get those frames that he used to put the remains in." She is one of 3,000-plus local pet owners who paid for Vereb's Eternity Pet Memorial and already filled out the form on the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office website, looking to find out if their animal was involved. "We had two," Goldman said. "One is mine. Her name was Chelsea, a yellow lab, and then my mom had her seeing eye dog, which was a black lab named Fawn." She's left now staring at the clear baggies she never questioned before Monday, noticing they have no tags and no cremation ID numbers. "We trusted him to do that," Goldman said, "and to give us back our pet, saying that they were in a private cremation, you will definitely get your pet back. And now we don't know." Many pet parents reached out to KDKA Investigates, saying they know Vereb dealt with their pet, but they didn't find their vet listed on the AG's website. "And the article where they said the smaller animals were improperly treated, it was just even worse because she was our tiny, little 10-pound Yorkie," Mistick said. Amber Mistick said she's waiting to hear back from the AG's office after she said her vet asked to get added to the list. Her Yorkie, Joy, bonded fiercely with her oldest daughter. "That was her dog, and she was the best dog ever," Mistick said. "I'm absolutely devastated. I'm devastated for her. I'm devastated that I had to reopen that for her. Because right before I got on with you, I had to call her and tell her." Attorney General Sunday hopes investigation will provide answers Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday hopes his office's investigation into the case will provide answers for pet owners. "Since the launch of the website, we've had over 3,800 form submissions on the website," Sunday said. "And so that's a lot. We have not seen anything like this before in the AG's office." He said the website is key because it's putting his office in a position to contact victims and collect their information. "We want victims or potential victims to be able to go to the website and to fill out the information so that we have it, so that we can contact them," Sunday said. "We want them to be able to fill out victim impact forms about how this has impacted them." That's why he's asking for everyone, even if your pet's death didn't fall within the years listed or your vet isn't currently listed, to still submit. He says the current criteria are based on the current facts of the investigation. "We would rather have someone submit and provide their information and put us in a position where we can say to them, 'Hey, you're not a victim' than someone to sit out there and worry so much about something like this," Sunday said. Sunday says his office is working in real time to reply to people. KDKA also asked Sunday about a consumer investigation since many asked about civil charges, trying to recoup their money back, since many fear they didn't get the services they paid for. He didn't want to talk about where the investigation is going to lead his office, but he added they're doing everything to make the victims whole.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man charged after power line fire at pot growing operation
DURYEA, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Drug charges were filed Monday against a Massachusetts man after a burning power line in Duryea led police to a marijuana grow operation back in August of 2024, according to court records. Police say after investigating arching wires that caused a fire, along with a smell of natural gas, they discovered an alleged marijuana grow operation inside a home in the 200 block of Marcy Street. The fire department, along with the police department, made forced entry into the home to ensure the safety of anyone potentially living in the residence after a smell of natural gas near the gas meter, according to the affidavit. Lackawanna DA confirms 3 teens in custody after Olyphant shooting Police say that when inside the home, they found over 600 marijuana plants growing. Police, along with members of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, later returned with a search warrant and said they found 'what appeared to be an extensive marijuana grow operation'. Police say they found heaters, fans, Co2 tanks, and air filtration systems. A PPL representative who responded to the scene said the amount of power being drawn by items in the home is what caused the line to catch fire, according to court records. According to police, by using evidence found in the home, they identified Minchao Yu, 43, with a last known address of Allston, Massachusetts, as the homeowner and used Yu's bank records to trace various building materials of the grow operation to Yu. Yu has not been arrested and is facing charges of manufacturing, possessing with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and risking a catastrophe. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
29-04-2025
- New York Times
Pittsburgh Funeral Home Tossed Pets' Remains in Landfill, Prosecutors Say
The owner of a Pittsburgh funeral home dumped the remains of thousands of dogs and cats in a landfill after their owners had paid more than $650,000 for their cremation and burial — then handed them back the ashes of unknown animals, according to prosecutors in Pennsylvania. Patrick Vereb, 70, the owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial in Pittsburgh, was charged on Monday with felony counts of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and deceptive business practices, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General said in a statement. Mr. Vereb surrendered Monday afternoon to the authorities and was arraigned on the charges. He was released on his own recognizance, prosecutors said. A lawyer for Mr. Vereb did not immediately respond to inquiries on Tuesday. Mr. Vereb has a court hearing scheduled for May 9, according to court documents. He is accused of stealing from over 6,500 customers who paid for the burial and cremation services of their pets from 2021 to 2024, prosecutors said. 'This case is disturbing, and will cause devastation and heartache for many Pennsylvanians,' said Dave Sunday, the state's attorney general. 'Our pets are members of our families, and this defendant betrayed and agonized pet owners who entrusted him to provide dignified services for their beloved cats and dogs.' A spokesman for the attorney general's office said on Tuesday that a former employee of Mr. Vereb's tipped off the office and prompted the investigation. The attorney general's office said that nearly a dozen veterinary practices and businesses helped in confirming that Mr. Vereb had collected at least $657,517 in fees from pet owners who were promised a private cremation for their pet, but did not receive their actual ashes. Instead, Mr. Vereb disposed of many of the pets at a landfill whose location was not disclosed and provided customers with the ashes of other animals, prosecutors said. They did not say where the ashes had come from. The attorney general's office said that it has identified thousands of customers from Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties in Western Pennsylvania as victims. A spokesman for the office said it does not provide information about victims. Because of the large number of customers who may have been impacted, the attorney general's office has launched a website to connect with victims who can share their impact statements and receive updates on the case. On its website, the Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorial offered 'compassionate experts' would take care of the remains of their customers' needs for pet funeral and memorial services. 'Our mission is to assist families in creating personalized funeral experiences that honor the life of their loved ones,' the website said.
