Jayana Webb pleads guilty in deaths of PA State Troopers Branden Sisca, Martin Mack
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A woman charged with murder in the deaths of two Pennsylvania State Troopers entered a guilty plea Wednesday.
Police said in March 2022, Troopers Branden Sisca and Martin Mack were on I-95 in South Philadelphia helping a man who was walking on the highway when driver Jayana Webb struck and killed all three men.
Webb admitted in a Philadelphia courtroom that she was under the influence of alcohol when she struck the troopers and the man they were assisting, Reyes Rivera Oliveras.
She pleaded guilty to three counts of 3rd-degree murder and driving under the influence.
The hearing was heartbreaking at times.
Both Stephanie Mack and Brittany Sisca said their young daughters experienced a tremendous loss after the sudden deaths of their husbands, Troopers Mack and Sisca.
"I mentioned the difference between her and my husband is that she gets to see hers through a glass door in visitation hours, my children visit a tombstone," Stephanie Mack said.
The plea avoids trial and Webb was sentenced by the Hon. Barbara McDermott to 27½ to 60 years in prison.
"Today's conviction of Jayana Webb is a just resolution of one of the most shocking incidents of vehicular violence in recent memory," District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement. "I want to thank ADA Jeffrey Hojnowski and our team in the Homicide/Non-Fatal Shootings Unit, along with the Pennsylvania State Police, for a skillful investigation and prosecution that avoided a jury trial, which would have undoubtedly been retraumatizing for the families of Trooper Mack, Trooper Sisca, and Mr. Oliveras. This matter will formally conclude next Tuesday when Ms. Webb is to turn herself in before the court. We will have more to share with the press and the public at that time."
Prosecutors said Webb tweeted two seconds before the crash and had a blood alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit. Webb apologized in court before she was sentenced.
"It is our prayer that at some point they get some peace and comfort. It is her prayer that at some point they can forgive her," said Michael Walker, who represents Webb. "She has always wanted to accept responsibility for the mistakes that she has made."
Prosecutors said the plea deal avoids what would have been a trial with video and photos of the crash difficult to watch.
"The best outcome was to avoid having to put the families through this horrific tragedy over again," Jeff Hojnowski, Philadelphia's assistant district attorney, said.
Webb will remain on house arrest until her baby is born in February, a decision Judge McDermott said she struggled with.
Brittany Sisca said it's time to get past coming to court.
"It's time for us to reflect, time for us to spend all of the time with the girls," Brittany Sisca said.
Webb will return to court next week. Home confinement matters will be mapped out and then once she has her baby, the judge said she will have very few days left to spend before going to prison.
