WAYNESBURG, Pa. -- A Greene County jury on Friday afternoon sentenced a New Geneva farmhand to death for raping and killing 12-year-old Gabrielle Bechen.

On Thursday morning, the jury found 51-year-old Jeffrey Martin guilty of first-degree murder, rape, sexual assault, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and other related counts in the Dunkard Township girl's 2006 slaying.

On Friday, Martin's daughter, Jennifer Martin, sat with Bechen's family in the courtroom and thanked God when her father was sentenced to die.

"Justice was made today for everyone that was hurt through the years from the monster," said Jennifer Martin.

Jeffrey Martin's wife, in frail health, had intended to speak on her husband's behalf when the sentencing phase of the trial started, but she was too shaken. She showed up at the courtroom on Thursday covering her face, shaking and struggling to breathe.

Martin's brother, Donald, took the stand on Thursday and talked about Jeffrey's childhood, hoping to convince the jury to spare his life.

"It was pretty bad," Donald Martin said. "It was dirty, mattresses on the floor, no bed frames, no blankets. It was a struggle. No food. Every day -- wake up, dirty clothes, go to school, no lunch."

Donald Martin also told the jury that the Martins' mother was an alcoholic and spent most of her time at a bar, where she "would take the last 50 cents and, instead of buying food, she'd buy a few drafts."

Shannon Presock, Bechen's cousin, was a witness for the commonwealth during the sentencing phase.

Sobbing and barely able to speak, Presock said, "The last time I saw Gaby was the day before we lost her."

She also spoke about the moment when the child's family learned of her death.

"All I can remember is Mimi, Gaby's mom, screaming," Presock said. "That confirmed everything we dreaded."

Presock said she still cries about her cousin.

"Mostly, I miss her laughter and her smile," she said.

Police said Bechen went missing in June 2006 while riding her all-terrain vehicle in a Greensboro horse farm where Martin worked. Her body was found buried on the farm a few days later.

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Closing Arguments

Defense attorney Harry Cancelmi told the jury on Wednesday not to allow their sympathy for Bechen's family to determine their verdict.

Cancelmi acknowledged that Martin confessed to killing Bechen, but said he only did so because he was coerced by state police. He said Martin was afraid to tell police that he saw a man who he says actually killed the child and then helped him bury her ATV.

Assistant District Attorney Linda Chambers called Martin devious, cunning and dimwitted. She told jurors that he choked the child so hard that he broke a bone and damaged cartilage in her neck.

"He wanted to kill her to shut her up" after Bechen accused Martin of molesting her, Chambers said.

Chambers pointed at Martin, called him guilty and said, "He had 21 months sitting in jail to come up with his story."

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Martin's Testimony

On Tuesday, Martin testified that he did not kill Bechen, and that a young man with long brown hair, who was driving a white truck, asked for his help burying the ATV for insurance money.

"He said he got this four-wheeler he'd like to get rid of for the insurance, and he offered me $100," Martin said.

So, Martin testified, he went along with the plan. He told the jury he and the stranger dug a hole for the ATV together. Martin then told the jury that the man said, "You finish putting the dirt back. I got a helmet and a pair of shoes to get rid of."

Martin testified he had a chance to look inside the stranger's truck.

"I looked in, and over on the passenger side of the truck, there was a gray coat, and I seen some hair and a hand sticking out from the coat," Martin told the jury. "I couldn't see who it was, because the face was covered. I said, 'Who is this?' He said, 'Oh, it was an accident.'"

Martin told the jury he got scared, confused and didn't know what to do.

In his taped confession that was played in court on Monday, Martin admitted to strangling the sixth-grader before burying her body under 100 pounds of lime in a 5-foot-deep grave.

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