Person sentenced to 16 to 42 years in fatal stabbing of off-duty state police officer on Montour Trail

The person accused of stabbing an off-duty Pennsylvania State Police officer to death on the Montour Trail last year has been sentenced to 16 to 42 years.

In August, Anthony Quesen pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the third-degree murder of Benjamin Brallier, a liquor enforcement agent who was running on the Montour Trail in Moon Township. Quesen also pleaded guilty to a robbery in Point State Park. A judge gave Quesen 15 to 40 years for Brallier's murder and 1 to 2 years for the robbery. 

First responders were called to the Montour Trail last October for reports of an injured man. When they got there, they found Brallier. He was taken to the hospital but died. Police described the attack as "vicious," saying Brallier had stab wounds on his torso, front and back. 

The case drew attention because of a decision made by Judge Xander Orenstein to release Quesen on nonmonetary bail for a robbery that had happened at Point State Park a year earlier. Orenstein was already under scrutiny for no-cash bail decisions when Brallier was stabbed.  

"Without a doubt, this case has greatly impacted our community, but at the same time, brought public attention to the county's inability to securely, temporarily house dangerous persons in the criminal justice system who suffer from mental health issues," District Attorney Stephen Zappala said in a press release. "It is my hope that Officer Brallier's family and friends find solace and feel that justice prevailed, and that a sense of safety may be restored to our people."