Ebony Talley and her daughter, R’Mani Rankins
DA seeks death penalty in Bristol Twp. triple-murder case
Emotions ran high in the courtroom as the Bucks County District Attorney filed to seek the death penalty for the man accused of killing 22-year-old Ebony Talley, her daughter, R’Mani Rankins, 4, and an unborn child in Bristol Township last year.
Marcel Johnson, 21, of Bristol, would face the death penalty for the killings of Talley and Rankins, and first-degree murder for the killing of Talley’s unborn child if convicted, according to Assistant District Attorney Matt Weintraub. Johnson was formally arraigned on murder charges Friday and his attorney filed a plea of not guilty on the charges.
Craig Penglase, Johnson’s court-appointed attorney, said the friends and family members of the victim were understandably emotional.
“I think that this is as such as in any homicide that involves a child emotions are going to overcome some people,” he said.
Weintraub said one man, after seeing Johnson for the first time since the killings, had to be asked to leave.
“There was a victim’s family member who was seeing the defendant for the first time and he got upset,” Weintraub said. “I don’t blame him, but I have to concentrate on what’s going on in front of me and not what’s going on behind me and he was asked to leave.”
Investigators said Johnson stabbed the three in Talley’s Avalon Court apartment and then set fire to the apartment to cover up the crime.
To justify seeking the death penalty, the district attorney alleged that Johnson tortured his victims, risked the lives of others while committing the murders, knew Talley was pregnant and that Rankins was less than 12.
The judge scheduled pretrial motions for June 30 and the trial for Sept. 15.
http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.c...a04dd2396.html
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