2nd Suspect Sentenced To 2 Life Terms For Murder Of Beaver Co. Couple
BEAVER COUNTY (KDKA) – A man convicted of killing a Beaver County couple will serve two life sentences for his role in the murder.
Robert Burgess, 37, was formally sentenced by a judge Tuesday after a jury couldn't reach a consensus.
They jury was supposed to decide if Burgess would die by lethal injection or spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility for parole.
Representatives from all of the agencies involved in solving the murder stood before reporters united as they have been throughout the investigation.
"Today is a great day for the justice," said Beaver Falls Police Chief Charles Jones. "It's a perfect example of how criminal justice agencies came together from local to federal agencies."
Devon Shealey, 28, was also convicted in the murder of Richard and Demetria Harper, both 32.
Shealey was sentenced to two life terms in June.
They were shot in the back of the head, execution-style, after what authorities say was a drug-related dispute.
The four witnesses called by the prosecution brought many to tears in the Beaver County courtroom, during the trial. They included the victims' daughters who were in the house six years ago when their parents were killed.
The girls now 15 and 17 years old talked about hearing their father crying, hearing gunshots and seeing their parents lying in a pool of blood.
As they cried from the witness stand, several in the court room did the same as well as some jurors.
The defense attempted to show that Shealey made Burgess take part in the murder.
The 17-year-old daughter of the victims said from the stand, "Yeah, my parents smoked weed, and my mom sold it, still that doesn't mean they should be dead."
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