Appeal rejected in 2013 Donegal Township murder case

A Westmoreland County judge this week rejected the appeal of a Washington County man serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of his father-in-law in Donegal Township.

Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani, in a 12-page opinion, ruled there was no evidence to support claims made by Michael Martin that he was not properly represented during his 2015 trial when he was convicted for the stabbing death of 67-year-old Early Weygandt in a parked car on a secluded portion of Route 31.

Martin, 48, contended during a hearing in December that trial attorney Brian Aston ignored his request to challenge the admissibility of a more than two-hour recorded confession in which he first lied to police, then admitted his involvement in Weygandt’s murder.

Martin also criticized his lawyer for not calling witnesses during the trial to testify to his good character.

Aston defended both decisions last year, saying Martin’s confession allowed jurors to hear his story without subjecting him to questioning by county prosecutors. Aston also suggested character witness testimony in Martin’s favor was negated by his client’s criminal record and by Weygandt’s peaceful reputation.

Prosecutors contended Martin lured Earl Weygandt, 67, from his Donegal Township home to a car he parked along a wooded section of Route 31 under the guise of needing help for a disabled vehicle. While there, police said, Martin stabbed Weygandt to death.

Prosecutors claimed Weygandt had recently stopped giving financial support to Martin and his wife, who lived in Fallowfield Township.