Penn township man sentenced to life plus 10 years for strangling wife in 2024

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA — A Penn Township man has been sentenced to life in prison plus an additional five to 10 years after pleading guilty to the 2024 murder of his wife, Jami Harrison, Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Matthew Scott Harrison, 49, appeared before Lancaster County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Conrad on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and strangulation in connection with the February 5, 2024 killing. Charges of second-degree murder and aggravated indecent assault were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Judge Conrad imposed the sentence on July 23, stating that Harrison “had a duty to love, honor and protect” his wife, but instead acted with “malice and hatred” in what he described as “one of the most cowardly acts a man can do.”

Harrison admitted to strangling 49-year-old Jami Harrison at their home in the 2200 block of East Mount Hope Road. Prosecutors said the murder was premeditated and followed a series of over 120 degrading and threatening text messages sent by Harrison in the days leading up to the killing.

During sentencing, Jami Harrison’s daughters delivered emotional impact statements. One turned directly to Harrison and called him “a coward,” describing years of abuse and expressing the lasting damage to the family, including her 11-year-old sister who discovered their mother’s body. Another daughter told the court, “Jami was our only true parent… Harrison stole that from us.”

Assistant District Attorneys Fritz Haverstick and Jennifer Ponessa prosecuted the case. Haverstick told the court that Harrison had sent messages to family members and co-workers before and after the murder, expressing intent and later admitting to the killing. Following his arrest, Harrison told investigators he believed his wife wanted to die, saying he thought he had “set her free.”

When given a chance to address the court, Harrison declined to elaborate, saying, “There’s no reason for me to stand here and elaborate,” though he later stated he was sorry.

A Lancaster County man will spend the rest of his life in prison for strangling his wife in what prosecutors called a deliberate and violent act.

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