Man Convicted For June 2008 Beaver Co. Murders
BEAVER (KDKA/AP) – A jury in Beaver County has convicted a man of killing a couple in Beaver Falls six years ago.
Devon Shealey, 27, was found guilty of 2nd-degree murder for the deaths of Richard and Demetria Harper, who were found bound and shot in the basement of their home in June 2008. Shealey will not face the death penalty.
At the preliminary hearing in 2012, one of the Harpers' young daughters told the court she and her younger sister witnessed two masked men, one carrying a gun, in their home. They were put in a closet and heard one of the men asking, "Where's my money? I want my money." They were later taken to the basement, forced into the furnace room and then heard shots.
Robert Burgess, 37, was also charged in connection with the case and is slated for trial in October. At the preliminary hearing, a witness told the court that he believed Demetria Harper stole his money after an alleged drug deal and he was "mad as hell and gonna get his."
Shealey and Burgess were both already in prison on unrelated charges when they were charged in connection with the Harper murders.
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Arrests Made In 2008 Beaver Co. Double Murder (7/2/12)
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