Judge denies bias, upholds sentence in 2010 Greensburg torture killing

The 60-years-to-life prison sentence imposed on one of six Greensburg roommates convicted in the 2010 torture and slaying of a mentally disabled woman will stand, a judge ruled Friday.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway said the lengthy prison term imposed against 29-year-old Angela Marinucci was not a result of bias, which her defense attorney claimed in a recent court filing.

“This court properly considered that the evidence in this case compellingly demonstrated crimes that were particularly brutal and protracted, with torture of the victim taking place over a period of days and concluding with a ‘family meeting’ vote to murder the victim,” Hathaway wrote in a 23-page opinion.

Marinucci was the first of six roommates convicted in the February 2010 killing of 30-year-old Jennifer Daugherty of Mt. Pleasant.

Prosecutors said Daugherty was held captive in their apartment for more than two days, where she was abused, beaten, raped and stabbed to death. Her body was wrapped in Christmas lights, stuffed into a garbage can and left in a snow-covered parking lot, according to police.

Marinucci, who was 17 at the time of her arrest, was convicted of first-degree murder. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court twice overturned sentences of life without parole imposed by Hathaway.

After a third sentencing hearing in May, Hathaway ordered that Marinucci may be eligible for parole after serving 60 years in prison, making her eligible for release in 2070 at age of 78.

Marinucci, through defense attorney Michael Dematt, claimed the sentence was too long. He suggested the judge abused her discretion when she imposed the six-decade minimum penalty.

The defense argued the judge ignored evidence that Marinucci matured over the last 12 years since her trial and based the sentence on personal emotions.

Hathaway defended the penalty, saying it was supported by evidence presented during Marinucci’s 2011 trial and the three subsequent sentencing hearings.

In addition to Marinucci, two men were sentenced to death for their roles in Daugherty’s killing. Three others pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and are serving lengthy prison sentences that will keep them behind bars for decades.