Clock is ticking to pass legislation on second-degree felony murder sentencing
Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce, at podium, is joined by district attorneys Brian Gallagher of Lackawanna County, Julie Gavitt-Shaffer of Sullivan County, Michael S. Greek of Carbon County, Marion O’Malley of Susquehanna County, Michael O’Pake of Schuylkill County, and Joe Peters of Wyoming County at a news conference held in the rotunda of the Luzerne County Courthouse on Tuesday.
Ed Lewis | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — With only days until the window closes, district attorneys from several Northeast Pennsylvania counties gathered Tuesday to strongly urge the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to pass a bill that would maintain life in prison without parole for those convicted of felony murder, notably second-degree murder.
That window will surely be slammed shut before the July 24 deadline set by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on March 26.
Joined by district attorneys from neighboring counties and families of murdered victims who are affected, Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce hosted the press conference in the rotunda of the county courthouse.
“Today’s purpose is to emphasise the need for the legislature to work together to answer the call from the (PA) Supreme Court, the call from victims, and the call from police and district attorneys to protect the public against the release of convicted murderers, to ensure victims rights are protected, and to defend the hard work and hours and hours of police work and prosecutorial work that went in to convict these defendants,” Sanguedolce said.
The state Supreme Court in March overturned decades of legal precedent and ruled that mandatory life sentences without parole for second-degree murder are unconstitutional, which will result in Court of Common Pleas judges weighing each second-degree murder conviction individually.
The Supreme Court, however, gave the General Assembly 120 days to amend sentencing guidelines for second-degree murder, also called felony murder, as it involves another felony, such as robbery, rape, deviate sexual intercourse by force, arson, burglary, and kidnapping.
Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, introduced Senate Bill 1400 on June 22, and it was passed by the state Senate days later on June 25.
The Senate Bill was sent to the state House on June 26 and remains with the House Judiciary Committee without action.
Consequences of failing to address the Supreme Court’s decision could result in convicted second-degree murder defendants being re-sentenced and possibly released from prison.
Several notable criminal cases in Luzerne County that are impacted are:
• Joseph Kerekes, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole, for his role in the brutal slaying of Bryan Kocis in Dallas Township in Feb. 2007.
• Breon Judon, who robbed, kidnapped, and killed Aaron Reznick in Aug. 2012.
• Louisa Reyes, who pled guilty to second-degree murder for her role in the stabbing death of Fred Boote in Wilkes-Barre in Sep. 2018.
• Michael Simonson, who pled guilty to second-degree murder for his role in the kidnapping, robbery and beating death of Donnie Skiff, whose body was found in Jenkins Township in April 2009.
• Preston Bonnett, who was found guilty of three counts of second-degree murder in the arson deaths of three children at a residence in Laflin in Oct. 2017.
In a statement signed by Sanguedolce and other district attorneys, they noted, “This matter is a serious and emotional one for prosecutors and victims alike. While we recognize work is needed to reach agreement on the language of this legislation, we, Northeast Pennsylvania prosecutors, stand by our legislators’ efforts. Their work in passing a fix to the Supreme Court decision and steadfastly protecting whatever amount of closure these cases have given to the families of the victims and families who, unfortunately, become future victims is profoundly appreciated.”
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