Greensburg woman serving life sentence claims she can't leave prison for appeal hearing

Westmoreland County prosecutors argue a former Greensburg woman serving a life prison sentence for her role in the murder of a former boyfriend in 2006 should appear in person for her upcoming appeal hearing.

Jennifer Vinsek, 37, contends she should receive a new trial based on allegations that her former lawyer did not properly defend her at her trial more than a decade ago, when prosecutors said she was instrumental in planning a robbery that led to the shooting death of William Teck along the railroad tracks in Manor.

Prosecutors said Vinsek falsely told her new boyfriend that she had been raped by Teck. That set in motion a robbery plot to lure Teck from a local diner. That robbery turned fatal when Vinsek’s boyfriend, Jason Maple, followed Teck to railroad tracks and gunned him down, according to prosecutors.

Vinsek, whose previous appeal was denied in 2010, now claims she was coerced and under duress at the time of the murder and that her trial lawyer did not properly pursue that defense.

She wants Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger to allow her to attend a future appeals hearing in Greensburg via video connection, claiming in court documents that travel from prison in Indiana County would require her to miss doctor’s appointments and prevent her from receiving medicine for a preliminary diagnosis of an inner-ear ailment that causes vertigo and dizziness.

In court documents filed Tuesday, Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck said there is no proof of that diagnosis and that Vinsek’s attendance at an appeals hearing is necessary.

“The commonwealth strenuously objects to Vinsek’s request inasmuch as Vinsek’s claims depend largely on an assessment of her credibility,” Peck wrote.

He said other judges have previously found Vinsek not credible.

Vinsek was convicted of second-degree murder in connection with Teck’s shooting. Maple, 37, of Penn Township, was convicted of first-degree murder and is serving a life prison sentence. Maple’s last appeal was denied in 2015.