The woman who murdered 67-year-old Timothy Pahl in his house after he caught her burglarizing it will spend the rest of her life in prison.
On Friday, a jury decided Elizabeth Chinn, 34, will not receive mercy. On Thursday, the same jury convicted Chinn of first-degree felony murder, burglary, grand larceny and two counts of conspiracy.
First-degree murder also requires a jury to decide if the convicted deserves mercy — meaning the person would be eligible for, but not automatically receive, parole after serving 15 years in prison.
Jurors were unable to come to a decision on mercy on Thursday and reconvened on Friday, coming to the decision after a few more hours of deliberation.
Judge Phillip Gaujot sentenced Chinn to the life sentence after the jury returned its recommendation.
“I just appreciate that this brought some closure to this matter and hopefully it’ll let myself and my family move forward,” Pahl’s son, Andrew, said. “I do believe it’s a step in moving forward, although the loss is still quite painful, this is still a step in the right direction.”
Andrew said he was thankful for the Pennsylvania State Police and especially Detectives Stephen Currie and Jon Friend with the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department for their hard work on the case. He also thanked Monongalia County Prosecutor Perri DeChristopher for her “exceptional job” trying the case.
DeCristopher said, “I could not be more proud of the case we presented on the behalf of the victim, Timothy Pahl. The jury was dedicated and attentive during the entire trial and, although likely an emotional deliberation, their verdict represented justice.”
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