CRAWFORD COUNTY, Pa. – A jury found a 53-year-old truck driver guilty of killing a pregnant Amish woman in her home last year.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office announced on June 12 that Shawn Cranston was found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder of an unborn child, and other charges in the death of 23-year-old Rebekah Byler. He is set to be sentenced on July 28 and faces life in prison.
Prosecutors said Cranston intended to burglarize Byler’s home, but when he encountered her alone, he “sliced her throat and shot her.”
An autopsy revealed that Byler died from sharp force injuries and a gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators reportedly discovered numerous pieces of evidence, including a portion of a glove containing Cranston’s DNA, as well as shoe prints and vehicle tire treads linking Cranston to the crime. The attorney general’s office stated that authorities discovered Cranston’s car at the scene using GPS data.
According to The Associated Press, Byler’s two children, ages two and three, were at home when their mother suffered neck and head wounds, but they were unharmed. One of the victim’s children allegedly told authorities that a man wearing sneakers killed his mother.
In a court proceeding, Byler’s husband, Andy Byler, reportedly stated that the children informed him about the incident when he returned home.
During his testimony, the victim’s husband admitted, “I did not 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 difficult to fathom more heinous conduct than brutally killing a young expectant mother and her unborn child in her home.” Our homes are supposed to be safe havens, and this defendant violated the sanctity of home by committing these truly evil acts.
