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Thread: Joseph Spudis Sentenced in 2013 PA Slaying of Gertrude Price

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Joseph Spudis Sentenced in 2013 PA Slaying of Gertrude Price


    Gertrude Price



    Anthony Joseph Spudis


    Nanticoke homicide suspect would qualify for death penalty

    By Ed Lewis
    The Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

    WILKES-BARRE — A state inmate charged with stabbing a 97-year-old woman to death with a screwdriver more than four years ago could face the death penalty if Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis elects to pursue it.

    While the judicial clock for Luzerne County prosecutors began Thursday when they charged Anthony Joseph Spudis, 35, with an open count of criminal homicide, prosecutors have until the formal arraignment to notify the court if they intend to seek Spudis’ death.

    But prosecutors must pass their first test at a preliminary hearing tentatively set for Jan. 15, where they must convince a district judge that enough evidence exists to send the case to trial. A formal arraignment is scheduled if the case advances out of district court.

    Spudis’ case qualifies for the death penalty as he allegedly killed Gertrude Price during the commission of a felony — in this case, robbery and burglary — which is an aggravating circumstance. Spudis is also facing robbery and burglary charges in addition to the criminal homicide count.

    There are 18 separate aggravating circumstances in Pennsylvania for prosecutors to seek the death penalty if there is a conviction of first-degree murder.

    Salavantis could not be reached for comment Friday.

    Spudis is accused of killing neighbor Price inside the woman’s petite residence on West Grand Street in Nanticoke on Nov. 28, 2013.

    State Police at Wyoming and Nanticoke police alleged Spudis used a screwdriver to force open a basement window at Price’s residence, and proceeded to ransack the place.

    Investigators allege when Spudis was confronted by Price, he stabbed her in the face multiple times with the screwdriver.

    Spudis continued to ransack Price’s home before leaving, only to return after confiding in his girlfriend, Tayrn Simms.

    Investigators say when Simms accompanied Spudis to Price’s home, they found the elderly woman not breathing on a bed.

    Simms has not been charged in the case.

    Investigators previously believed the killer entered Price’s home through a ground-level basement window sometime between 10:30 p.m. Nov. 28, 2013, and 9:35 a.m. the next day. State Police said neighbors reported lights were turned on at Price’s home at about 11 p.m. Nov. 28, which they said was not normal.

    Reward funds

    Soon after the discovery of Price’s body, separate reward funds were established.

    Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers, a non-profit organization, featured Price on its website Dec. 5, 2013, indicating a possible $2,500 cash reward for information needed to solve the case.

    Former Nanticoke police officer Kevin Grevera set up a fund with $1,000 from his own pocket, which quickly grew to more than $10,000 due to donations and fundraisers, including a Zumbathon at Nanticoke Fitness Center and Tanning that raised more than $1,100.

    Grevera’s fund was managed by a committee with the Fraternal Order of Eagles and set up at PNC Bank. Grevera could not be reached for comment Friday
    to determine what will happen to the reward.

    http://www.timesleader.com/news/6865...-death-penalty

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Attorney permitted to withdraw from defending homicide suspect

    By Ed Lewis
    The Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

    WILKES-BARRE — An attorney contracted through Luzerne County’s Department of Conflict Counsel to defend homicide suspect Anthony Spudis had a conflict himself.

    Attorney David Lampman, of Wilkes-Barre, was permitted to withdraw from representing Spudis, 35, who stands accused in the 2013 Thanksgiving Day stabbing death of 97-year-old Gertrude Price in Nanticoke.

    County President Judge Richard M. Hughes III on Tuesday granted Lampman’s request to withdraw from Spudis’ case.

    After reviewing police reports, interview recordings and witness statements in preparation for Spudis’ preliminary hearing, Lampman noticed he previously represented a prosecution witness, creating a conflict of interest.

    “(Lampman’s) continued representation of Mr. Spudis creates a substantial risk that privileged information counsel obtained in previously representing the commonwealth’s witness might be relevant to cross-examine and impeach that witness,” Lampman wrote in his request.

    Hughes ordered the conflict office to appoint another lawyer to represent Spudis by Thursday.

    Spudis is accused of killing Price inside the woman’s home on West Grand Street on Nov. 28, 2013. Investigators allege Spudis entered the residence through a basement window intending to ransack the house.

    When Spudis was confronted by Price, however, he allegedly stabbed her in the face multiple times with a screwdriver.

    Spudis continued to ransack Price’s home before leaving, authorities say.

    Spudis qualifies for the death penalty as he allegedly killed Price during the commission of a felony — in this case, robbery and burglary — which is an aggravating circumstance.

    There are 18 separate aggravating circumstances in Pennsylvania for prosecutors to seek the death penalty if there is a conviction of first-degree murder.

    District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said Wednesday she has not decided if her office will seek the death penalty for Spudis. If a district judge finds there is sufficient evidence to forward Spudis’ charges to county court, Salavantis’ office has until or at the formal arraignment to notify the court if they intend to seek the death penalty.

    Spudis’ preliminary hearing has been continued indefinitely.

    https://www.timesleader.com/news/693...micide-suspect
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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Accused Killer of Elderly Woman Bound for Trial

    BY DAVE BOHMAN
    wnep.com

    WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- A man accused of a murder in 2013 was in court Friday for a preliminary hearing at the Luzerne County Courthouse.

    Anthony Spudis was free for four years following the death of 97-year-old Gertrude Price until police picked him up late last year.

    It took investigators more than four years to get enough evidence to charge a 35-year-old man for murdering Price at her home in Nanticoke.

    It took a judge just three hours to rule there is enough evidence to bring Spudis to trial.

    "Whatever he did, monsters strike in the night," said the victim's daughter Carol Belmont.

    In court, an inmate who was in jail with Spudis in 2014, when Spudis was in jail on an unrelated break-in testified Spudis admitted murdering Price and worried about DNA.

    And Spudis' former live-in girlfriend testified that when she confronted Spudis about leaving her 7-month-old baby alone the night of the murder, he later brought her into Gertrude Price's home and showed her the body.

    "She wouldn't put up a fight. I don't think she would have even got out of her bed. He went upstairs and just whatever he did," Belmont said.

    At the hearing, the Luzerne County coroner said Price was beaten and stabbed.

    The next steps include setting a trial date, and prosecutors will determine whether or not to seek the death penalty.

    http://wnep.com/2018/04/06/accused-k...und-for-trial/
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    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    DA seeking death penalty for Anthony Spudis, Nanticoke woman’s alleged killer

    By Ed Lewis
    Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

    WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County prosecutors filed notice Friday they will seek the death penalty for Anthony Spudis, charged in the 2013 slaying of 97-year-old Gertrude Price in Nanticoke.

    Spudis is accused of killing Price inside the woman’s home on West Grand Street on Nov. 28, 2013. Investigators allege Spudis entered her residence through a basement window intending to ransack the house but instead, he stabbed Price several times in the head when she confronted him.

    Spudis, 35, appeared before Judge Tina Polachek Gartley to be formally arraigned on charges of criminal homicide, robbery and burglary. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Assistant district attorneys Daniel E. Zola and Michelle A. Hardik notified the judge they filed a notice of aggravating circumstances with the court indicating they are seeking the death penalty for Spudis, a legal requirement that certifies the trial as a capital case.

    Polachek Gartley scheduled jury selection to begin Nov. 27 with the trial to commence once a jury of 12 plus four alternates are selected.

    The judge also imposed a gag order prohibiting prosecutors and Spudis’ lawyers, John Pike and Joanna Smith, from publicly discussing the case.

    Spudis’ case qualified for the death penalty as he allegedly killed Price during the commission of a felony – in this case, robbery and burglary – which is the only aggravating circumstance Zola and Hardik submitted.

    There are 18 separate aggravating circumstances in Pennsylvania for prosecutors to seek the death penalty if there is a conviction of first-degree murder.

    A jury must initially convict Spudis of first-degree murder then proceed to a second phase, normally called the penalty phase, to determine if Spudis will be put to death or spend the rest of his life in prison.

    Spudis was charged Dec. 20, 2017, more than four years after Price was killed.

    https://www.timesleader.com/news/703...anthony-spudis
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
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    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
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    October 17, 2018

    Alleged killer’s trial delayed to allow new attorney time to prepare

    WILKES-BARRE — Anthony Spudis’ trial for allegedly killing 97-year-old Gertrude Price has been delayed and an exact start date will not be determined until at least next month.

    Spudis, 36, faces an open count of criminal homicide along with counts of burglary and robbery. Spudis allegedly broke into Price’s Nanticoke home Nov. 28, 2013, intending to ransack the place. But prosecutors say he stabbed Price several times in the head when she confronted him.

    He was originally set to go to trial Nov. 27, almost five years to the day after Price’s death. But Luzerne County Judge Tina Polachek Gartley conceded that wouldn’t be possible.

    Spudis got a new attorney Wednesday morning. He was initially given an attorney with the Luzerne County Public Defender’s Office, but he was then transferred to attorneys with the county’s office of conflict counsel when it was determined the public defenders had a conflict.

    But members of that office also had a conflict, so the county had to advertise for an attorney to take the case.

    The case was assigned to Robert Saurman, a Monroe County-based lawyer who is death-penalty certified. Prosecutors are seeking capital punishment for Spudis.

    Just being assigned to the case Wednesday, Saurman said a November start date wouldn’t be feasible. Judge Gartley agreed.

    Saurman will be defending another homicide case in Lehigh County on Oct. 29, so Gartley is giving him time to familiarize himself with Spudis’ case before setting an exact date for trial.

    Gartley scheduled a hearing for Nov. 20 to determine when the trial should commence.

    Gartley plans to block out a two-week period for the proceeding, as jury selection in death-penalty cases often takes “longer than you might think,” she said.

    https://www.timesleader.com/news/721...liar-with-case
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    Senior Member CnCP Legend JLR's Avatar
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    April 10, 2019

    Trial for alleged killer Spudis pushed back to 2020


    WILKES-BARRE — At a motions hearing on Wednesday, the trial of a man accused of stabbing a 97-year-old woman to death during a Thanksgiving break-in five years ago was once again postponed at the behest of the defense.

    Anthony Spudis, 36, was in court on Wednesday before Luzerne County Judge Tina Polachek Gartley, who heard a series of motions in relation to his case.

    Spudis is facing an open count of criminal homicide along with counts of burglary and robbery after he allegedly broke into the Nanticoke home of Gertrude Price on Nov. 28, 2013. Prosecutors say he stabbed Price several times in the head in what has been characterized as a burglary turned violent, and they are pursuing the death penalty in the case.

    Spudis’ attorney, Robert Saurman, made a motion to have the trial continued from its scheduled date in late May, saying the defense team needed more time to prepare.

    Gartley re-scheduled Spudis’ trial for Jan. 6, 2020, blocking out a full week for jury selection and setting aside two more weeks for the trial.

    This is the second continuance in the case; Spudis was originally set to go to trial last November.

    Warrant motion

    The court also heard arguments related to other motions, including a motion to suppress the findings of a search warrant that was conducted on the home Spudis lived in at the time of the robbery. The search in question was conducted in 2017, years after he moved out.

    In the ceiling boards of the home’s basement, police say they found a bag containing items that belonged to Price and bore her name. Pennsylvania State Trooper Edward Urban testified that, while the bag was missed during a search in 2014, photos from that search show it poking out of the ceiling.

    Saurman focused on inconsistencies in the filing of the search warrant, namely that the search warrant states it was for a home located at 2 E. Union St., Nanticoke, when the search was actually conducted at 2 W. Union St. Urban characterized this as a typographical error.

    Gartley’s ruling on the motion will come at a later date.

    https://www.timesleader.com/news/739...d-back-to-2020

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    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Capital murder case delayed amid COVID-19 concerns

    By James Halpin
    Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice

    The long-delayed capital murder trial of Anthony Spudis was put off another eight months on Tuesday, with his defense citing difficulties preparing for trial amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Spudis, 38, is charged with robbing and murdering 97-year-old Gertrude Price, whose family found her body in her bed at 23 E. Grand St. in Nanticoke on Nov. 29, 2013. Prosecutors allege Spudis brutally beat and stabbed the elderly woman with a screwdriver during a Thanksgiving night break-in.

    During a hearing Tuesday before Luzerne County Judge Tina Polachek Gartley, Assistant District Attorney Daniel Zola said prosecutors were ready for Spudis' Jan. 6 trial date.

    But defense attorney Robert Saurman requested more time due to "various reasons, most of which are COVID-related." He said a capital murder case requires more in-depth preparations than a standard criminal trial.

    "Death is different," he said.

    For example, he said his private detective has fallen behind on preparations, while his mitigation expert has not been able to see people face-to-face, which is ideal, he said.

    Saurman also said access to Spudis has been limited on occasion. Spudis is being held at the Lackawanna County Prison, which is currently on lockdown due to a case of COVID-19.

    Gartley said trials have resumed in Luzerne County with the use of larger-scale facilities such as the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. She questioned whether delaying the case until the summer would have any meaningful effect.

    "I believe I can find the time to do it," Saurman said, referring to meeting with Spudis to review evidence. "I don't think it's a never."

    Gartley granted the motion to continue and pushed the month-long trial back until Aug. 16.

    Spudis continues to be held without bail.

    https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/c...fd4c974ed.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    Spudis trial once again pushed off; now to start in January

    WILKES-BARRE — Anthony Spudis had been set to go to trial this August for the stabbing death of Gertrude Price, 97, but his trial has once again been given a lengthy continuance.

    Spudis, 38, is facing an open count of criminal homicide. He is accused of breaking into the the Nanticoke home of Price on Thanksgiving in 2013. According to police, Spudis stabbed Price several times in the head in an altercation that police say originally began as a burglary.

    Spudis has been locked up since he was arrested in December 2017, with his trial having been postponed several times since then.

    As of Monday, it’s been continued once more.

    The decision came during a motions hearing before Luzerne County Judge Tina Polachek Gartley. During the hearing, Spudis’ attorney, Robert Saurman, said the defense simply would not be ready for the August trial.

    According to Saurman, the ongoing pandemic continues to pose problems for the defense, most notably with the defense’s private investigator, who was largely unable to meet face-to-face with potential witnesses for months.

    Additionally, Saurman said an upcoming additional motions hearing, scheduled for July 8, deals largely with what DNA evidence the defense is entitled to in the discovery process, and that that could affect strategies.

    Deputy District Attorney Daniel Zola objected to Saurman’s motion for continuance, saying that he was confident that Saurman’s concerns could be overcome without postponing the trial.

    But Gartley ultimately sided with the defense, citing both Saurman’s concerns and the ways in which those concerns could affect calling jurors, since notices to potential jurors would be going out in the coming days.

    Gartley also said that this trial is almost certain to be the longest period of jury service to occur in the county since the beginning of the pandemic — with prosecutors pursuing the death penalty and all the things that come with that, it’s likely that the jurors selected will spend more than a month in jury service, from the beginning of selection to the end of the penalty phase.

    Gartley now set Spudis’ trial to begin in the first week of January next year, adding that there would be no further continuances.

    Spudis’ next motion hearing is scheduled for next week.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.tim...in-january/amp
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    Judge vows COVID safety as Spudis death penalty trial nears

    There have been jury trials at the Luzerne County Courthouse during the coronavirus pandemic, with several ending after a few days while 2 recent homicide trials were resolved within 2 weeks.

    Preparing for a death penalty trial is another undertaking.

    Judge Tina Polachek Gartley said she will do everything she can to protect jurors for the upcoming trial of Anthony Spudis, 39, accused with killing 97-year-old Gertrude Price during a burglary of her Nanticoke home on Thanksgiving night in 2013.

    Spudis’ trial is expected to begin in February.

    Deputy Assistant District Attorney Dan Zola, Assistant District Attorney Gerry Scott and state deputy attorney general Michelle Ann Hardick are seeking the death penalty for Spudis, if convicted of 1st-degree murder.

    Death penalty trials differ than a homicide trial and are routinely longer in length.

    Jury selection for Spudis is expected to take up to 2 weeks with the trial itself lasting 3 weeks. If Spudis is convicted of first degree murder, a penalty phase occurs that could last a week.

    During what was called a logistical hearing Thursday morning to discuss safety precautions, Gartley said she will declare a mistrial if a juror test positive for coronavirus.

    Instead of face masks, Gartley said jurors will be required to wear face shields including Spudis while inside the courthouse. And, Gartley noted, since the courthouse does not require social distancing at this time, jurors will be sitting next to each other in the jury box.

    A concern raised by Spudis’ attorneys, Brian Scott Gaglione and Robert Allen Saurman, is the rising number of positive COVID cases in Luzerne County, the highly contagious Omicron variant and families gathering for the holiday season.

    Gartley said she is concerned about jurors with children in school and the possibility of their child testing positive for COVID. Naturally, she said, the juror of the child will face a stressful situation of wanting to stay home.

    “We are living in unprecedented times,” Gartley said, noting there has not been a trial expected to last up to six weeks during the coronavirus pandemic.

    “I do not know of a 6-week trial during COVID,” Gartley said.

    Saurman requested another continuance of the trial to wait and see how the Omicron variant impacts COVID cases after the holiday season. He suggested having the trial held in March and April.

    On the other hand, Zola said he is comfortable with the safety plan put in place by Gartley.

    “We are ready to proceed with this case,” Zola said.

    Gartley said as of now, the trial will begin in February but she will entertain delaying until March and April.

    (source: timesleader.com)
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Spudis’ capital homicide trial continued

    By Ed Lewis
    Times Leader

    WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County Judge Tina Polachek Gartley continued the death penalty trial of Anthony Spudis for at least a month.

    While Spudis’ attorneys last week asked to continue February’s trial as COVID-19 cases rise in Luzerne County, they requested and were granted a trial postponement in order to have a hearing on an expert witness.

    Gartley set March 28 as the new trial date for Spudis, 39, accused in the killing of 97-year-old Gertrude Price during a burglary of her Nanticoke home on Thanksgiving night in 2013.

    Spudis’ attorneys, Brian Scott Gaglione and Robert Allen Saurman, requested the latest continuance to conduct a Frye hearing for an unnamed expert witness.

    A Frye hearing is held to determine if a witness is an expert in a specific field of study.

    Gartley will schedule the Frye hearing at a later date.

    During a logistical hearing held Dec. 9, Spudis’ attorneys asked the trial be delayed due to rises of COVID-19 cases in Luzerne County and the rapidly expanding coronavirus variant omicron.

    At issue is the length of time to select a jury and trial combined with COVID-19 concerns.

    Death penalty trials differ than a homicide trial and are routinely longer in length.

    Jury selection for Spudis is expected to take up to two weeks with the trial itself lasting three weeks. If Spudis is convicted of first degree murder, a penalty phase occurs that could last a week.

    Gartley, last week, expressed concerns about the possibility of any juror having children and if their child test positive for COVID-19 citing coronavirus outbreaks in schools.

    Gartley stated she will declare a mistrial if a juror test positive for COVID-19.

    Deputy Assistant District Attorney Dan Zola, Assistant District Attorney Gerry Scott and state deputy attorney general Michelle Ann Hardick are prosecuting.

    https://www.timesleader.com/news/152...rial-continued
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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