Monessen man appeals life prison term for rape, child murders

A judge abused his discretion by reimposing a life prison sentence for a Monessen man convicted of raping of a young mother and murdering her children in 1973, his attorney claims in court papers.

Defense attorney Mark Shire argued in an appeal filed Friday that his client, John Veltre Jr., 69, has done enough while behind bars over the last half century to warrant him eligible for parole.

In an appeal of the new sentence handed down June 27, Shire contends Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Stewart II failed to take into consideration Veltre’s growth while in prison and other mitigating factors that qualify him for a potential release.

“The trial court’s feeling that the defendant has not grasped the gravity of his offenses and is unable to express meaningful remorse is against the weight of the evidence and unfairly punishes the defendant for the effects of his upbringing, low IQ, compromised thought processes and limited vocabulary,” Shire wrote.

Veltre was a month shy of his 17th birthday when prosecutors said he barged into a Monessen home, raped a 24-year-old woman, then killed her 2-year-old and 3-month-old daughters.

Veltre’s original sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 14 years behind bars, was vacated in 2016 after state and federal court rulings determined juvenile offenders cannot be subject to mandatory life sentences.

Following a daylong hearing last month, Stewart resentenced Veltre to life in prison, citing the violent nature of the crimes and saying the public could be at risk should he be released from confinement.

In the court filing, Shire claims Stewart erred by not adequately considering Veltre’s ongoing maturity and rehabilitation while behind bars, his poor upbringing and home life, intellectual limitations and mental health diagnosis.