Delco Man On Death Row For Killing Soccer Star Loses Another Appeal
By David Madden
MEDIA, Pa. (CBS) - Arthur Bomar, convicted in the 1996 murder of college soccer star Aimee Willard, has lost his second state appeal to get off Pennsylvania death row, but any execution is not likely to come for months, or maybe years.
The 22-year-old Willard was killed after leaving a bar with friends...her body dumped along a Blue Route on-ramp.
"The family had to endure these appeals, had to endure the tragic and vicious death of Aimee Willard and it's time to try to get these issues resolved," says Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan.
Bomar's lawyers tried and failed to convince Delaware County Common Pleas Judge Frank Hazel to throw out the conviction based on alleged ineffective counsel at trial. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is siding with Hazel.
Whelan hopes outgoing Governor Tom Corbett will sign a death warrant, even though the legal fight is far from over:
"We do expect Mr. Bomar's attorneys on the federal level to attempt appeals through the federal court system. However, we're anxious to have the Governor sign the warrant."
That's because Corbett's successor, Governor-elect Tom Wolf, supports a moratorium on death warrants while the death penalty is studied in the Commonwealth.
