CRAWFORD COUNTY, Pa. (TCN) — A jury convicted a 53-year-old truck driver of killing a pregnant Amish woman last year in her home.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office announced June 12 that a jury found Shawn Cranston guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder of an unborn child, and other related charges in connection with the death of 23-year-old Rebekah Byler. He is set to be sentenced on July 28 and faces life behind bars.
Prosecutors said Cranston planned to burglarize Byler’s home, but after he encountered her alone, the defendant “sliced her throat and shot her.”
An autopsy revealed Byler died of sharp force injuries and a gunshot wound in the head.
Investigators reportedly recovered multiple pieces of evidence, including part of a glove that contained Cranston’s DNA, as well as shoe prints and vehicle tire treads linking Cranston to the crime. According to the attorney general’s office, through GPS data, authorities learned Cranston’s car was at the scene.
According to The Associated Press, Byler’s children, ages 2 and 3, were reportedly home when their mother sustained wounds to her neck and head, but they were unharmed. One of the victim’s kids allegedly told officials a man wearing sneakers killed his mom.
In a court proceeding, Byler’s husband, Andy Byler, reportedly said the children told him about the incident when he came home.
During his testimony, the victim’s husband said, “I didn’t really believe it. I walked in and saw her cap laying inside the door,” The Associated Press reports.
In a statement, Attorney General Dave Sunday said, “It is hard to fathom conduct more heinous than brutally killing a young expectant mother and her unborn child in her home. Our homes are supposed to be our safe haven — this defendant violated the sanctity of home to commit these truly evil acts.”
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