WASHINGTON, Pa. -- After hearing about Terrell Yarbrough's limited mental capacity and a plea for compassion from one of his victims' relatives, a Washington County jury decided against putting the Pittsburgh man to death for killing two Franciscan University students.
Instead, Channel 4 Action News' Ashlie Hardway reported that Yarbrough, of East Liberty, was sentenced on Thursday afternoon to life in prison as punishment for his first-degree murder conviction one day earlier.
Yarbrough's sentence includes no chance for parole, but at the age of 29, it gives him plenty of time to "realize what he did was wrong and to admit it and to live his life differently," just as Chris Muha had asked for.
Prosecutors said Muha's brother, Brian, and Aaron Land were robbed and kidnapped in 1999 at their off-campus apartment in Steubenville, Ohio, and driven just over the state line into Washington County, where they were killed.
Yarbrough sobbed as he spoke to the victims' mothers at his sentencing hearing, telling them, "I know apologies won't change the fact of what happened. I'm sorry."
"That's the first time that Terrell has shown remorse, and I felt that it was sincere," said Land's mother, Kathleen O'Hara. "That meant something to me. It meant more to me than I thought it would."
"This is what we've been hoping for and praying for," said Muha's mother, Rachel. "To stand up in court and say that is a great start for him."
Yarbrough's aunt, Itellia Dean, said she thinks the apology was for real, "because that's how he always was -- genuine."
Assistant District Attorney Chad Schneider had asked the jurors for the death penalty, but defense attorney Ken Haber argued to spare Yarbrough's life, and his efforts were aided by testimony from Chris Muha, an unlikely ally.
"A man that has to live with the knowledge of what he did will torture him every day for the rest of his life. Is that not punishment?" Haber told the jury.
Chris Muha testified that he thinks Yarbrough should live, so he can acknowledge what he did and try to be a better person in prison and realize the impact of taking two lives.
"We have always tried to want what was best for Terrell... the main thing we do is we pray for him," Muha told reporters, adding that his brother would want what's best for the man who killed him.
Video - Victim's Brother Asks Jury To Spare Killer's LifeO'Hara was upset that the defense tried to blame the murders on Nathan "Boo" Herring -- who is awaiting trial separately -- while painting Yarbrough as merely a lookout for the kidnapping.
"The defense insulted and minimized the murder of my son and insulted every victim in this country. He made it sound like Terrell had a minor involvement in a brutal murder," O'Hara told Channel 4 Action News.
Dr. David Hammer testified that Yarbrough was born to a drug-addicted mother who was high while pregnant. As a result, Yarbrough's I.Q., social behavior and academic achievement are low, and tests have proven his mental capacity is limited, Hammer said.
Listening to the testimony, Yarbrough stared and showed little emotion in Judge John DiSalle's courtroom.
Channel 4 Action News' Marcie Cipriani reported that a Yarbrough family member walked up to Chris Muha and hugged him after he had finished testifying.
"That would kind of be Brian's final act of triumph -- for Terrell to realize what he did was wrong and to admit it and to live his life differently," Chris Muha said outside the courtroom.
Some members of the jury wiped tears from their eyes during Chris Muha's testimony, moved by the story of his loss as well as his compassion for the man who took his brother's life.
Yarbrough was convicted of aggravated murder in Ohio in 2001 and sentenced to die, but he was retried because the state Supreme Court ruled in 2004 that his trial should have taken place in Pennsylvania.
Herring was also convicted in Ohio and also will be retried in Pennsylvania in connection with the killings.
Previous Stories: - November 3, 2009: Guilty Verdict Brings 'Relief' For Families Of Murdered Franciscan Students
- November 2, 2009: Jury Deciding Fate Of Suspect In College Student Murders Retrial
- October 26, 2009: Prosecutors Warn Of 'Graphic' Testimony In Student Murder Case
- October 20, 2009: Mom Battles Old Emotions As Student Murders Go To Trial Again
- December 11, 2006: Man Convicted Of Kidnapping, Murder To Stand Trial In Wash. Co.
- December 1, 2004: Death Sentence Thrown Out In Rt. 22 Student-Killings
- September 28, 2000: Yarbrough Plans To Appeal Death Sentence
- September 27, 2000: Jury Sentences Yarbrough To Death
- September 22, 2000: Yarbrough Found Guilty On All Counts
- September 21, 2000: Franciscan Murder Trial Nears End
- September 16, 2000: Second Franciscan Death Trial To Begin
- August 30, 2000: Herring Gets Life In Franciscan Murders
- August 29, 2000: Convicted Murderer Pleads For Mercy
- August 26, 2000: Guilty Verdict Reached In Franciscan Killings
- August 19, 2000: Jurors To View Crime Scene
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