Watch CBS News

Man Sentenced To 10 To 20 Years In Grandmother's Slaying

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A man has been sentenced to 10 to 20 years in the stabbing death of his grandmother in western Pennsylvania four years ago.

Thirty-year-old Levi Staver was sentenced Monday in Allegheny County in the February 2013 death of 76-year-old Constance Johnston.

He pleaded guilty but mentally ill to third-degree murder in January, and prosecutors said his sentence will include significant psychiatric treatment.

Authorities said Johnston and her husband, a retired minister, were sitting at the kitchen table when Staver came upstairs from the basement and stabbed her in the back with a hunting knife. Police said Staver told them that an "archangel" told him to "kill the witch."

Staver's attorney sought a lesser term, but the judge expressed doubt that he would follow his treatment program if released from custody.

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.