One of three people accused in the murder of a New Florence grandmother will be tried separately from his two co-defendants, signaling a potential agreement to cooperate with prosecutors, an attorney said Tuesday.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio pushed back the first-degree murder case against Robert Patrick Jack, 20, of Washington until April.
His two co-defendants will go on trial next month in connection with the fatal shooting of 71-year-old Alice Robson in her New Florence home.
Prosecutors said Robson was shot twice in the head Dec. 23, 2023, as she sat in a chair near where her grandson slept. Her body was found buried under a rear porch at her Furnace Lane home.
Robson’s daughter, Melissa Sue Fox-Beacom, 51, of New Florence and Matthew Jason Bates, 20, of Ligonier are charged alongside Jack with criminal homicide, first-degree murder and conspiracy.
Fox-Beacom is accused of coercing Bates and Jack to kill Robson. Both men were initially alleged to have entered the home, and each blamed the other for firing the fatal shots, police said.
Jury selection for the trial of Fox-Beacom and Bates is scheduled to begin Feb. 3, with testimony slated to start Feb. 9.
Prosecutors agreed to delay the case against Jack for at least two months.
“Jack is cooperating in an effort to get away from a life sentence,” said Fox-Beacom’s defense attorney, Tim Dawson. “He confessed and admitted to being a cold-blooded killer. He admitted to shooting her twice in the head, and the prosecution is not satisfied with that and is going forward against two other co-defendants who didn’t pull the trigger.”
Prosecutors contend Fox-Beacom and her mother had a fraught relationship that included a history of violence. They also claim Bates was the boyfriend of Fox-Beacom’s daughter.
Neither Jack’s lawyer, Ken Noga, nor the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office responded to requests for comment.
