We tell Williams story on this months episode of Cold Case Beaver County at Timesonline.com. Mayhue died in prison on October 3, 2013. This Monday, we'll bring you the story of Robin Sue . Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. The Chesterfield County Police Department has determined that a fire on Beaver Bridge Road in Chesterfield that killed a woman was intentional -- and charged a man with arson and second-degree murder. In 2007, after serving 29 years in prison, Surratt confessed to six murders, but no charges were brought against him, despite credible circumstantial evidence indicating that he was indeed the perpetrator. Infinite Scroll Enabled. Beaver County is in the 31st percentile for safety, meaning 69% of counties are safer and 31% of counties are more dangerous. First published on October 12, 2021 / 11:46 PM. Channel 11 Investigation: Domestic extremists targeting your electricity. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Pa. high school dismissed after bobcat invades building. [8], He was eventually arrested and interrogated, but denied any responsibility for all the crimes, and since there was no evidence linking Surratt to them, he was released. Join us as we take you behind the scenes with never-before published photos and facts in a video series of open and unsolved murders in Beaver County. In February 1987, Steve Gavura, a landscaper and excavator who owned a large lot next door to Harlene Mayhue, told police that Fred Mayhue and McCarthy had approached him on April 5, 1985, about burying a body on his property. He was 31 and killed by a shotgun blast to the chest. Over the past nearly six weeks, the jury has heard from over 60 witnesses called by state prosecutors, who have argued that Alex Murdaugh killed his wife and son to gain sympathy and distract from his financial problems. 162.0.216.70 Reviews help others find the show and, besides, wed like to know what you think about the program, too. They were led to an 18-year-old Robert Bever and his 16-year-old brother, Michael. According to the complaint, Sosack was traveling at 75 mph well over the 45 mph marked speed limit. Related video: Two . In 2007, Surratt inexplicably confessed to six additional murders: the murders of David and Linda Hamilton, committed on September 20, 1977, in Beaver Township, Mahoning County, Ohio; the murders of 63-year-old John Davis and his 61-year-old wife, Mary, killed with a shotgun in Beaver Township in November 1977. At the time of the divorce filing, the Mayhues, who lived in Rochester (Beaver County), Pennsylvania, and had been married for more than thirty years, were joint owners of a residential sewer cleaning business, E.L. Mayhue & Son. Please enter valid email address to continue. Aliquippa Police turned over the investigation to state police. According to a jury . Alex Murdaugh faces 30 years to life in prison without parole if convicted of the killings, for which he has pleaded not guilty. In a shocking development, Crystal stated that her brothers, Robert and Michael, were responsible for the attacks. A Pennsylvania serial killer in jail since the 1970s has confessed to six more murders, authorities said. Last week, Sharon Benyo was found dead in. Pennsylvania State Police have closed four cold case homicide investigations, including two in Beaver County, after a confession from a notorious convicted. A woman is facing murder charges in an October crash in Beaver County. I am also a Pittsburgh native. His body was recovered from Gavuras property on February 12, 1987. Bed Bath & Beyond to close 87 more stores, Former Pittsburgh man sentenced to life in prison for drug, gun crimes, Findlay Township business owner accused of possessing child porn, VIDEO: Ketchup bottle will return when Gate C at Acrisure Stadium becomes Heinz Gate, DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts, Remains found in New Castle identified as man reported missing in 2013, 3 people dead after 2 separate shootings in McKeesport; scenes not connected, police say, Man facing charges after police chase on busy Ambridge road, Man found dead in courtyard after shooting in Arlington Heights. During this period, he began to exhibit antisocial behavior and signs of PTSD. Following the trip, court is expected to resume around 11 a.m., at which point the attorneys will argue charges for how the jury will be instructed to deliberate. It was terrible.. Mami Matsuda (4), a Japanese girl from Ashikaga, Tochigi . "I heard the vehicle before I heard the gunshots. 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"One of the things that I think I explained to you was that he was of a theatrical type presence in the courtroom and he could get very emotional doing closing arguments in front of a jury.". Once those rules are established, closing arguments will take place, then the judge will charge the jury before deliberations into the high-profile case begin. When George Andersons body was found floating in the Ohio River in April 1983, one thing was immediately clear: this was no accident. police charged John Johnson Jr. with homicide. Subsequently, Surratt was arrested at the scene without further incident. On January 27, 1949, Margaret Bankowski from Ambridge went missing. Episode 5 of Cold Case Beaver County is online now: Courtney Haswell was only 17 when her mother, Robin Sue Miller, was found dead on Nov. 4, 2003, in Beaver Falls. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Lau, who was granted immunity, testified against Mayhue, as did Gavura, Wayne Shackleford, and several other men who were privy to Mayhues various schemes. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The motive is still unclear. Around 5:24 p.m., Johnson is seen going south on Constitution Boulevard, though Benyo is not in his car, according to the criminal complaint. I am a sociologist and death penalty scholar at the State University of New York at Geneseo. ABC News' Janice McDonald contributed to this report. On July 1, he broke into a house and attacked the family of three living there. You can listen to the latest episode of Today in Pa at this link, or on any of your favorite apps including Alexa, Apple, Google, Spotify, and Stitcher. / CBS Pittsburgh. The 54-year-old attorney is accused of fatally shooting his wife and son in 2021. BEAVER COUNTY (KDKA) -- A witness at the center of a case involving a woman found shot to death in Beaver County is sharing what she saw and heard. . According to court documents, Beaver County will continue its case against John Westley Johnson Jr., 68, for the murder of Benyo in October. On September 20, by a jury verdict, he was found guilty of burglary, assault involving rape, and threatening with murder. [182] The killers were never found. http://www.timesonline.com/coldcase/, William Williamson was well-known and well-respected in Aliquippa, with his commitment to the community earning him the nickname Caretaker of Spring Street. In August of 1997, he was brutally murdered in a case that is still unsolved. [11] Edward was also among the suspects in the murder of 28-year-old Frank Ziegler, who was shot with a .38-caliber revolver on September 27, a few hundred meters away from the Weinman couple's house; the murders of 34-year-old Richard Hyde and his wife Donna, who were killed with a shotgun at their Moon Township home on December 4; as well as the November 20th murders of 29-year-old William Adams and his wife Nancy in Fallston, Pennsylvania. As the Assistant District Attorney said during the trial, Perhaps never before in the history of Western Pennsylvania have so many people stalked one person for so long.. After leaving school, Surratt was arrested a second time for disturbing the peace, hitting the arresting officer in the face. However, in view of him already being sentenced to long terms of imprisonment, the Beaver County prosecutors refused to prosecute or formally charge Surratt in 1980.[20][21]. . Today in Pa. is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories pertaining to Pennsylvania that lets you know, indeed, whats happening today in Pa. Todays episode refers to the following articles: If you enjoy Today in Pa., consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Click to reveal He spent his childhood and adolescence in an abusive environment. [15][16], During the course of the investigation, on the basis of material evidence, Edward Surratt was checked for involvement in at least 18 murders, in which the offender had a similar modus operandi to him and the attack in Vilano Beach. Surratt, who has been in prison since 1978, implicated himself in the killings of William and Nancy Adams, Guy and Laura Mills, Joel Krueger and John Shelkons, PSP said. | Watch WPXI NOW, Pittsburgh Regional Transits plan to implement rapid transit could affect existing routes. The 911 call was later reported to be made by Daniel. Her body was found in the trunk of the car she had been driving at 3:00am the next day at the Findlay Township, Allegheny County, home of David Kisow. BEAVER A Beaver Falls man accused of killing 46-year-old Sharon Benyo has received a date to stand trial. The jury in the double murder trial of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh -- who is accused of killing his wife and younger son at the family's property in 2021 -- will travel to the site of the brutal killings on Wednesday ahead of closing arguments. In trying to find a link to the other area slayings, investigators discovered that the shell casing found in the Hyde home matched one found in the home of Nancy and William Adams Jr. of Fallston,. He was charged with attempted escape, convicted in May 1994 and received an additional 2 years and 6 months imprisonment. Meanwhile, state tax collections continue to bounce back as the pandemic eases away. 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And a local high school gets an early dismissal after what looks like a bobcat invades the premises. It was terrible. Surratt was dismissed from the Army in August 1965 and returned to Aliquippa, where he inherited the business of his late father, who had died in June of that year due to complications from throat cancer. State Killings in the Steel City: The History of the Death Penalty in Pittsburgh. In 1959, he was arrested for disturbing the peace, but escaped with a fine. If you think you have been blocked in error, contact the owner of this site for assistance. Crime news and reports for the Beaver, PA area from Beaver County Times. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Then, I heard the gunshots, and I knew something happened.". In addition, credit card receipts and a number of other evidence showed that Surratt was in Boardman, Ohio, not far from where another similar murder occurred, making him a prime suspect in the killings altogether. Edward Arthur Surratt (born August 8, 1941) is an American murderer, rapist and suspected serial killer.Convicted of a single murder and several rapes in 1978, he remains the prime suspect in a series of murders in Pennsylvania, Ohio and South Carolina between 1977 and 1978. A wife and mother of four children, Carolyn Sue Bradley died after sustaining two gunshots in what police believe A woman is facing murder charges in an October crash in Beaver County. Once in jail, Mayhue solicited fellow inmates to kill witnesses against him. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. Following this trial, he was extradited to Lexington County, South Carolina, where he was tried for the murder of Langford and the attempted murder of his wife. Convicted of a single murder and several rapes in 1978, he remains the prime suspect in a series of murders in Pennsylvania, Ohio and South Carolina between 1977 and 1978. That same year, due to chronic absenteeism and poor performance, he was kicked out of school, but after being persuaded by his parents, he returned the following year and graduated. According to the criminal complaint, she was driving, trying to pass another car when she lost control and hit the car in front of her and a parked car on the side of the road. His was one of the first permanent families to settle in Beaver County. Before resting on Tuesday, prosecutors brought forward experts to dispute some of the defense witnesses' theories on how the shootings occurred and called former Murdaugh law partner Ronnie Crosby to the stand to discuss Alex Murdaugh's tactics as a trial attorney. She was 29 when someone broke into their mobile home located in an. Harlene Mayhue was last seen leaving a birthday party for her daughter, Debbie Meyer, at Meyers New Galilee home at 10:45pm on December 15, 1986. Watch her story now: The search continues. "You just can't really appreciate the spatial issues without actually seeing them," defense attorney Richard Harpootlian told the court on Monday. He served at Fort Dix, New Jersey, where he was disciplined at least twice: for injuring a colleague with a pipe during a fight; and abandoning his post, later being arrested by local police for dangerous driving and illegal weapons possession. Industry Township on June 8, 1990. According to the complaint, Sosack was traveling at 75 mph well over the 45 mph marked speed limit. Unwilling to reach a financial settlement with his wife and bitter that his scheme to defraud had been revealed (Mayhue v. Mayhue, 336 Pa. Superior Ct. 188, 1984), Fred Mayhue began to plan her murder. My present research focuses on the history of the death penalty in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pa. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: Seats still available tomorrow night 7pm EDT for "MOVING COLD CASES FORWARD" presented by Laura Pettler, PhD, former Director of Prosecutorial District 20A's Cold Case TASK FORCE, former Vice-President of The American Investigative Society of Cold Cases, and Expert Volunteer of the . Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa., a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Claudia Dimuro. Could YOU be the one to help crack the case? Generated by Wordfence at Thu, 2 Mar 2023 8:57:07 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString());. It was terrible. So contentious was the divorce over matters financial and personal that it was not yet finalized more than five years later when Mrs. Mayhue was murdered. The bodies of Margaret Murdaugh, 52, and Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds near the dog kennels at the family's estate Moselle in June 2021, authorities said. On October 27, he was sentenced to two life imprisonment terms and an additional 200 years imprisonment. No questions can be asked and no talking will be allowed on the trip. According to the complaint, Sosack was drunk and high while driving. On appeal, on March 18, 1994, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated Mayhues death sentence and sentenced him to life imprisonment (Commonwealth v. Mayhue, 536 Pa. 271). The reversal was based on the absence of aggravating factors warranting a death sentence. Watch now at http://timesonline.com. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. After his release, and with the financial support of his parents, Edward entered Youngstown University in Ohio, subsequently moving to the state. Aliquippa, Pa. The jury has found Sheldon Jeter, Jr. guilty of first-degree murder in his homicide trial. In the interim unfolded one of the more complicated and poorly concealed conspiracies to commit murder on record. For the past 11 years, Courtney has lived with the unease of knowing the killer could be living in any one of the nearby towns. New evidence presented in court against 14-year-old accused of killing teen in Carrick. After finding Feeny's body, Gregor was reported missing, with her fate remaining a mystery. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Edward Surratt was born on August 8, 1941, in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, the son of successful entrepreneur Arthur Surratt. Colonel Scott Price, deputy commissioner of operations, said in a statement. Initially denying any knowledge of what happened, Kisow began to cooperate with police after receiving a threatening phone call from Mayhue. 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