2 Sentenced To Prison After Man Fatally Beaten Over Spilled Soup
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - The brother and a second housemate of a mentally disabled western Pennsylvania man have been sentenced to prison for fatally beating him for spilling a bowl of soup.
Sixty-one-year-old Ronald Duff's body was found Oct. 15, propped up on a couch by police who were told Duff had fallen down the steps of the home the men shared in Natrona, an impoverished section of Harrison Township, about 25 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
Ronald Duff had 30 injuries to his head and 20 to the trunk of his body. Four of his ribs were broken.
Police say Duff initially told them his brother fell down the stairs.
But 57-year-old Larry Duff and 22-year-old Jason Link pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in April after authorities determined they had beaten Ronald Duff the night before he was found, then given him a bath and set him on the couch when he was found unresponsive the next morning.
Authorities say Larry Duff and Link admitted they alleged beat or punished Ronald because he would expose himself, urinate and defecate on himself and was difficult to handle.
Link will spend three to six years in prison while Duff will serve 22 to 44 months.
RELATED LINKS
More On This Story
More Local News
More Police News
(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
