A truck driver is convicted in the fatal shooting of an Amish woman in her Pennsylvania home
MEADVILLE, Pa. — A jury convicted a 53-year-old truck driver Thursday of shooting to death a pregnant Amish woman inside her rural Pennsylvania home early last year.
Shawn Christopher Cranston was charged a few weeks after Rebekah Byler, 23, was found dead in the living room of her rural Spartansburg home.
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Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
He Walked Into an Amish Home and Killed a Pregnant Woman with Her Children Feet Away — But What Brought Him There?
Shawn Christopher Cranston, 52, was convicted of first-degree murder for killing 23-year-old pregnant Amish woman Rebekah Byler and second-degree murder for killing her unborn child Investigators linked Cranston to the crime through a shoe print and his belongings found at the scene, including Nike sneakers and guns Cranston, who had previously provided rides for a nearby family, had allegedly exhibited strange behavior, including wandering the property in black clothing with a pistolA truck driver was convicted of shooting a pregnant Amish woman to death inside of her rural northwestern Pennsylvania home while her kids were in the next room over. Shawn Christopher Cranston, 52, was convicted of first-degree murder for killing Rebekah Byler, 23, and second-degree murder for killing her unborn child, the AP reported. 'It is hard to fathom conduct more heinous than brutally killing a young expectant mother and her unborn child in her home,' Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said to the outlet. 'Our homes are supposed to be our safe haven — this defendant violated the sanctity of home to commit these truly evil acts.' On the morning of Feb. 26, 2024, Rebekah was at her home while her husband was being driven to work, the AP reported, citing authorities. When her husband, Andy Byler, returned home from work, he found her dead. 'I didn't really believe it,' Andy said at a preliminary hearing for Cranston, the outlet reported. 'I walked in and saw her cap laying inside the door.' Rebekah and Andy's two other children, a 2-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy, were at home when she was killed but the children were left unharmed, PennLive reported, citing court records. The boy later reportedly told police that a man in a green truck entered their home with sneakers and killed his mom. Investigators later found a shoe print inside their home resembling a Nike Air Force One sneaker and later found the shoes in the family's home, the outlet reported, citing police. Police also found some of Cranston's clothing, five bank bags, a box of gloves and seven guns with was a driver for an Amish man who lived a mile away from Rebekah's home, PennLive reported, citing court documents. Court records said the family had 'very odd experiences' with Cranston, saying that after he provided the first ride, he would randomly show up at the family's home. Amish people rely on drivers outside of the community since they do not drive vehicles. They also do not traditionally wear sneakers, according to their community rules. In one instance, Cranston allegedly drove a Jeep to the Byler's home, parked it in their driveway and wandered around the property wearing black clothing head to toe, PennLive reported. He allegedly had a black pistol in a holster on his belt and walked aimlessly, not making any sense when he interacted with neighbors. Neighbors have told police that he is a member of the War Dogs motorcycle club, where he serves as sergeant at arms, the outlet reported. Police are still not entirely sure what Cranston's motive was for killing Rebekah, local outlets reported. They're continuing to analyze his Jeep for evidence. Cranston is scheduled to be sentenced in July. Read the original article on People
CBS News
14 minutes ago
- CBS News
Woman critically injured in Harmar Township hit-and-run crash
A woman in Harmar Township was critically injured in a hit-and-run crash on Thursday night. Police said the victim was crossing Freeport Road when the driver of a dark-colored sedan hit her before driving toward the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Authorities said the 28-year-old woman was using the crosswalk on Freeport Road at Alpha Drive around 10:15 p.m. when she was hit. The driver was traveling north and hit the victim in the right lane, officials said. An employee of a nearby restaurant said she saw the crash and called 911. The victim was taken to a local hospital, and she remains in critical condition as of Friday evening. Detectives are looking at surveillance video from businesses in the area to help identify the driver. They say the car has damage to the front corner panel on the passenger side. Several people KDKA talked to off-camera on Friday said it is a dangerous intersection, and even though pedestrians have the right-of-way, they still need to use extra caution because drivers do not always stop. If you have any information about the hit-and-run or recognize the dark-colored car, call the Harmar Township Police Department.
Fox News
14 minutes ago
- Fox News
DHS turns tables on Elizabeth Warren after calling for Noem to resign: 'Trying to revise history'
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., joined the chorus of Democrats criticizing Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem after Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was stopped by Secret Service agents after interrupting a DHS press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday. "It's time for Republican Senators to speak up. We need an independent investigation of this," Warren said on MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes" on Thursday night. "It is also time for Kristi Noem to resign. She needs to resign," she added. Padilla was briefly placed in handcuffs and kicked out of the room by the Secret Service after he entered the press conference and attempted to ask the secretary a question in the middle of her remarks. He identified himself by name as a senator, but he was not wearing a security pin during the incident, according to the FBI. "Everything is on camera—Warren is trying to revise history on Senator Padilla's embarrassing conduct, but Americans can see with their own eyes," Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated. "Senator Padilla entered a high-security federal facility under false pretenses and crashed an invite-only press conference as law enforcement are working around the clock to calm violent riots," McLaughlin continued. "There's no excuse for busting into a press conference and interrupting it. Had Senator Padilla asked for a meeting, Secretary Noem would have happily obliged, which she graciously did for 15 minutes after the press conference." Padilla tried to manufacture a viral moment and it's embarrassing & disrespectful to law enforcement," she added. The Democrat and Noem did end up having a brief meeting where they exchanged phone numbers. Fox News reported that Noem described the meeting as "cordial and beneficial," and Padilla's office said it was "civil." The press conference addressed the civil unrest in the Los Angeles area as Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues to arrest illegal immigrants. "The Senator met with Secretary Noem this afternoon. He raised concerns with the deployment of military forces and the needless escalation over the last week, among other issues. And he voiced his frustration with the continued lack of response from this administration," Edgar D. Rodríguez, Deputy Communications Director for Padilla, posted to X. "It was a civil, brief meeting, but the Secretary did not provide any meaningful answers. The Senator was simply trying to do his job and seek answers for the people he represents in California," he added. Other Democrats, like California Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell, have called on Noem to step down. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski condemned how the incident was handled, whereas others, like sports commentator Stephen A. Smith, slammed the incident on his show, hypothetically asking Padilla, "You couldn't wait?"
