A man who was arrested last year for the brutal murder of a pregnant Amish woman and her preborn child has been sentenced to two life sentences for the crime.
Key Takeaways:
- Shawn Cranston was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the 2024 murder of Rebekah Byler.
- Byler was brutally killed in her home in 2024; she was six months pregnant at the time.
The Details:
According to a statement from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office, Shawn Cranston, 53, was convicted of first-degree murder and second-degree murder of an unborn child. He was also sentenced to 6-20 years for burglary and 10 months to 7 years for criminal trespassing. The jury deliberated for just two hours.
Cranston killed 23-year-old Rebekah Byler in Sparta Township, Pennsylvania, in 2024, in her home. Byler was six months pregnant at the time of her murder, and her two other young children (ages three and two) were present at the time but were not physically harmed.
Evidence pointing to Cranston’s conviction included “a piece of a glove found at the home containing Cranston’s DNA; shoe prints and vehicle tire treads that matched Cranston’s shoes and vehicle; and GPS data from Cranston’s vehicle that placed him at the scene.”
As reported by CBS News, “On Monday, the judge sentenced the man to the mandatory life-without-parole sentence for the first-degree murder conviction, plus an additional sentence of life in prison” for the second-degree murder of Byler’s preborn baby.
He is also required to pay $20,000 in fees and prosecution costs.
The Backstory:
Byler was found dead in her home on February 26, 2024, in a gruesome crime that shocked the Amish community.
Pennsylvania State Police warrants from that time say that she was found with “[a]n evident laceration… on the front side of [her] neck” and “a scalping type wound on her head.” She also sustained a gunshot wound to the head and a knife wound to the throat.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, “Authorities accused Cranston of killing Byler after entering her home in an attempt to steal money from it.”
Byler’s husband later testified that when he left for work that morning, his wife was hanging laundry out to dry. When he returned later in the day, his two young children — who were also at the home at the time of their mother’s death — led him to her body.
Commentary:
“It is hard to fathom conduct more heinous than brutally killing a young expectant mother and her unborn child in her home,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said after Crawford’s June 12th conviction. “Our homes are supposed to be our safe haven — this defendant violated the sanctity of home to commit these truly evil acts.”
After Crawford’s sentencing on July 28th, Sunday added, “This defendant committed a truly evil act, and is now held fully accountable as he will spend the rest of his life behind bars without an opportunity to ever again harm another person in free society.”
“I commend the dedicated investigators and prosecutors for their work, and the jury that reached an appropriate verdict,” he stated. “My thoughts are with the victim’s family, whose quiet strength throughout the process has been inspiring.”
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