William Morse is escorted in court on Tuesday afternoon. Morse pleaded guilty on a count of murder in the third degree before Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Vough.
                                 Pat Kernan | Times Leader

William Morse is escorted in court on Tuesday afternoon. Morse pleaded guilty on a count of murder in the third degree before Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Vough.

Pat Kernan | Times Leader

William Morse IV sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison

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<p>William Morse is escorted into magisterial district court on Dec. 11, 2019. Only weeks before his trial was set to begin, the Sugarloaf man accused of killing his father and destroying his corpse pleaded guilty.</p>
                                 <p>Times Leader file photo</p>

William Morse is escorted into magisterial district court on Dec. 11, 2019. Only weeks before his trial was set to begin, the Sugarloaf man accused of killing his father and destroying his corpse pleaded guilty.

Times Leader file photo

WILKES-BARRE — Only weeks before his trial is set to begin, a Sugarloaf man accused of killing his father and destroying his corpse pleaded guilty. And much to the obvious surprise of the judge who accepted the plea, he said nothing to his family when offered the chance.

William Morse IV, 30, appeared before Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Vough on Tuesday, set to appear for a status conference for his homicide trial which had been set to begin in the first week of May.

Morse was charged in November 2019 with counts of criminal homicide, abuse of corpse, obstructing justice, tampering with evidence, theft, receiving stolen property and obtaining proceeds from an illegal activity. Prosecutors accused him of killing his father, William Morse III, who officially went missing in June 2018.

Appearing before Vough on Tuesday, he entered a guilty plea on a count of murder of the third degree and obtaining proceeds from an illegal activity. Other charges were withdrawn by prosecutors.

Joined by his defense attorneys, Frank McCabe and Jessica Miraglia, Morse’s defense team agreed that it was in his best interest to plead guilty, so as to avoid a trial and a mandatory life sentence should he be convicted of first degree murder.

Deputy District Attorney Daniel Zola read the prosecution’s facts of the case before Vough accepted Morse’s guilty plea.

According to Zola, Morse burned his father’s remains, sifted the ashes and put them in municipal garbage bags, which he dropped off in several communities in our area. Zola said a search history shows Morse did internet searches to determine when garbage pickup was in those communities.

Zola said Morse’s primary motivation appeared to be money, as Morse, who had power of attorney over his father’s estate, began siphoning tens of thousands of dollars from his father’s various accounts.

Vough ultimately accepted Morse’s guilty plea, questioning whether or not Morse stood by his decision to waive all of his appellate rights, which he was doing as part of the plea deal.

As another part of the plea deal, prosecutors and the defense team jointly agreed to recommend a sentence of between 20 and 40 years on the murder charge, to be followed by an additional 10- to 20-year sentence on the other charge.

Before imposing the sentence, Vough gave Morse the opportunity to speak for himself. But he declined, much to Vough’s obvious surprise.

So, with emotion in his voice, Vough spoke to him, saying that when Morse was 27, he decided to murder his father.

“I lost my father when I was 25-years-old, and I wish every day I could see him again,” he said. “Almost everyone in this room has lost a parent, and they wish they could see them again.”

Vough sentenced Morse to the agreed-upon sentence of between 30 and 60 years in prison, also ordering him to pay nearly $80,000 in restitution and costs. He was given credit for 562 days time served.

After the sentence, Zola spoke to reporters, saying that Tuesday’s sentence came as the result of years of work, and that the elder Morse will be sorely missed.

“Anybody who knew William, or Bill, or Billy, or however they knew him, knew he had a huge heart, and he’s missed dearly by anyone who had the pleasure of meeting him,” he said. “I think today was justice for Bill.”

Zola said that Morse’s unemotional disposition in the court on Tuesday has been the way he’s presented consistently over the past two years.

“I think the judge’s reaction when he gave no response and had nothing to say pretty much told the whole story,” Zola said. “(Vough) was disappointed that he didn’t even have a comment for the court. As was I. I think that would’ve been the appropriate time to show some emotion, some feeling.

“He did not,” he said.

And that continued to be true; Morse said nothing to reporters as he was led out of the Luzerne County Courthouse back to the county prison, where he will await an assignment to a state prison.