A 53-year-old truck driver convicted of murdering a pregnant Amish woman and her unborn child while her two toddlers were in the house has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Shawn Christopher Cranston, of Corry, Pennsylvania, was handed two consecutive life sentences on Monday in a Crawford County courtroom after being convicted on four felony charges stemming from the killing of 23-year-old Rebekah Byler in her Sparta Township home.
The jury found Cranston guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of Byler, second-degree murder in the death of her unborn child, and one count each of first-degree burglary and first-degree criminal trespass. Deliberations lasted just three hours.
The crime occurred on Fish Flats Road, approximately 120 miles north of Pittsburgh, where state police discovered a blood-soaked living room with Byler lying on her back with a deep throat laceration. Investigators said the victim had also sustained a scalping-type wound.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Cranston first slit Byler’s throat and then shot her after she failed to die quickly. The motive has not been publicly disclosed.
Byler’s two young children, both under the age of three, were reportedly in the house at the time but were unharmed.
Cranston was arrested several days after the killing following a lengthy investigation involving forensic evidence and surveillance footage. His trial began earlier this summer and concluded with a swift conviction.
Cranston showed no visible emotion as the judge imposed the sentence of life without the possibility of parole, followed by a second life term.
Key Points
- A Pennsylvania man received two life sentences for the murder of a pregnant Amish woman and her unborn child
- Jurors found Shawn Christopher Cranston guilty after only three hours of deliberation earlier this month
- The brutal attack took place inside the victim’s home, where her two children were also present
