PA High Court Upholds Murderer’s Death Sentence

In an unanimous decision announced on November 18, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Melvin Knight, for the torture and murder of 30-year-old woman in February of 2010.  The Associated Press reports that Knight was one of two men sentenced to death for the killing.   The victim, Jennifer Daugherty, was mildly handicapped with the mental capacity of a child and trusted everyone she met.

Her parents worked to help her become independent and self-reliant, and eventually allowed her to take the bus to the nearby city of Greensburg for occasional medical appointments.  During one of those trips she befriended Peggy Miller.  On a later trip she met five other friends of Miller’s, including Knight.  On February 10, 2010 Jennifer took a bus to Greensburg for medial appointment and a sleepover with Peggy Miller.  When she arrived at Miller’s apartment the five other new friends including Knight were there.  Over the next 36 hours, Jennifer was beaten, raped, tied up and stabbed multiple times, her wrists were slit and she was finally strangled to death.  Knight committed the rape and did most of the stabbing.   The victim’s body was found on February 12 stuffed in a garbage can in a middle-school parking lot.   Knight and Ricky Smyrnes, who slit Jennifer’s wrists, were convicted of aggravated first degree murder and sentenced to death.   On direct appeal the PA Supreme Court ordered a new sentencing hearing because the jury failed to formally find a mitigating circumstance.  The second sentencing jury also voted unanimously for a death sentence.   In his second direct appeal Knight made several claims including that evidence introduced at the hearing including photos of the victim and evidence that she was mentally handicapped were prejudicial.  He also claimed that he suffered from a mental disability and that the state’s death penalty was unconstitutional.   The court rejected all of them.  In 2015 liberal Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced a moratorium on the death penalty, which is still in effect today.