Special hearing ordered over plea deal for man accused of killing his mother in South Fayette
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Family members of a South Fayette murder victim will get their day in court.
They contacted KDKA Investigates about their objections to a plea deal with the suspect.
On Wednesday, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward Borkowski ordered a special hearing on Oct. 28 to air their concerns.
KDKA-TV spoke with the family of Margaret Sumney, who police say was bludgeoned to death by her son, David Sumney, in 2019.
Margaret Sumney's daughter, Ellen, said family members do not agree with a plea agreement in which her half-brother is pleading guilty to third-degree murder, which could see him released from prison in 17 years.
At the hearing, the family will ask the judge to set aside the plea deal and try the suspect for first-degree murder, which carries a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, which presented the judge with the plea deal at a hearing in August, said the matter is ongoing and declined comment.