As our legislature works to meet the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s 120-day deadline to address the consequences of the Courts ruling concerning second-degree murder in Commonwealth v. Lee, the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office has been reviewing the cases of individuals convicted of second-degree murder committed in our county. We are publishing this information so that the during the debate that is currently taking place there is a clearer picture of the victims, their families and the community members who have been impacted by these killings. Their voices are important. 

     The families of the victims discussed below were told that a life sentence means no eligibility for parole in Pennsylvania, and they would never have to worry that the killer who destroyed their family would again be roaming the streets of Cumberland County. Now, we are tasked with reopening those cases and reopening those wounds for these families years later. Just this week, I received an email from the wife of murder victim Todd Getgen (his case detailed below) who in part wrote:

My husband was murdered by Raymond Peake 16 years ago. He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for second degree murder after a nolo contendere plea. I write to you in the middle of the night unable to sleep with tears streaming down my face, because I fear that he may be resentenced. I want you to know that my son and I still grieve the loss of my husband and his father every day. Our pain and sorrow are never far from the surface and the thought that the person responsible for taking Todd’s life may be given a chance to live beyond the confines of a prison cell is unbearable.

For our part, the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office is committed to continuing to seek justice for these victims and their families. 

     There seems to be a false narrative that Second-Degree Murder cases primarily involve the ‘get-a-way’ driving accomplice to a murder. As you will see that narrative is not the true nature of the vast majority of crimes committed by those who were convicted under Pennsylvania’s ‘felony murder’ rule in Cumberland County. 

Here are the Cumberland County cases that will be affected by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Ruling in Commonwealth v. Lee:

Commonwealth v. Jeffrey Kibe (CR-448-91) 

Victim: Kathy Grove

      On or about August 2, 1980, Kathy Lou Grove was at the West Shore Democratic Club in Enola, East Pennsboro Township, PA. In the early morning hours, Kathy exited the club without her friends who had accompanied her there. On August 6, 1980, Kathy Grove’s body was found on a wooded lot just off PA 944, Middlesex Township, Cumberland County. At the time of her death, Kathy Grove was a 21-year-old white female, 5’ tall, approximately 100 pounds, with shoulder-length brown hair, and wore eyeglasses. Her body was partially buried and covered with tree branches and leaves. She was wearing a shirt, which was pulled up over her chest, and underpants, which were pulled down. The jeans she had been wearing were never found. The eyeglasses she was wearing were never found. During the autopsy, the doctor noted contusions in Kathy’s groin area. The doctor also noted that Kathy Grove was asphyxiated until her death.

     A lengthy investigation into Kathy Grove’s death culminated in the arrest of Jeffrey Kibe on November 13, 1991. During the course of the investigation, it was learned that Kibe had contact with the victim on the night of her disappearance. It was also learned that Kibe had a history of sexually assaulting and strangling multiple other young women. During his trial, the Commonwealth was permitted to introduce evidence of two factually similar assaults of women who remarkably also fit the physical profile of Kathy Groves. Like Kathy Grove, these women were picked up at bars, taken to remote locations where he removed their pants but not their shirts, choked them to the point of unconsciousness and sexually assaulted them. There were a number of other women interviewed during this investigation that described similar assault encounters with Kibe.  They were all lucky enough to survive with their lives. Kathy was not. 

Kibe was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder, the underlying felony being his rape of Kathy. 

Commonwealth v. Christopher Reed (1038-2003)

Vicitm: Melissa “Missy” Conrad

     During the early morning hours of April 14, 2003, at approximately 2 AM, Christopher Reed confronted Melissa Conrad in the backyard of her residence in Plainfield, Cumberland County. Christopher Reed and Melissa Conrad previously were romantically involved with each other. During this encounter Reed became enraged with Ms. Conrad and stabbed her multiple times. Before Ms. Conrad died, Reed took the victim’s bank card, her personal keys, and her cell phone. During his flight from the murder, he used her bank card to withdraw $280 from her account to finance his escape from Pennsylvania. 

            The defendant’s conviction was pursuant to a plea agreement wherein the defendant agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder (based on the underlying robbery in conjunction with the murder) and serve a life sentence without parole in return for the Commonwealth’s agreement not to seek a first-degree murder conviction and a death penalty sentence. At the time of Reed’s sentencing, Melissa’s mother submitted to the court a victim impact statement. She wrote in part:

“April 14, 2003, changed our lives forever. That morning when I heard Missy screaming for me for help I knew something horrible had happened. When I found Missy in our backyard she was struggling to breathe. I called 911 and they told me to start mouth to mouth but all I could hear was the blood inside Missy gurgling. I tried to save my daughter but all I could do was watch and tell her how much I loved her…”

Commonwealth v. Beth Ann Markman (245-2001)

Victim: Leslie White 

        Leslie White was an 18-year-old recent high school graduate when she met William Houseman, a twenty-five-year-old co-worker at Walmart in August 2000. Leslie White and Houseman’s relationship became romantic shortly thereafter. At the time, Leslie drove a brand-new 2000 Jeep Cherokee. Unbeknownst to Leslie at the time was that Houseman lived in a trailer park in a trailer rented by thirty-four-year-old Beth Ann Markman in Newville, Cumberland County. Markman, although raised in central Pennsylvania, had drifted from Pennsylvania to New York to Virginia before moving back to Cumberland County in 1998. During that time, she had collected a prior criminal record that included convictions for drug possession, theft by deception and multiple convictions for prostitution. She was also very jealous of any woman who would become involved with Houseman. In September 2000, Markman advised her probation officer that Houseman had cheated on her and that if she caught him cheating again, she would kill the girl. On another occasion she told the probation officer that she wanted Houseman to have Leslie over to the trailer so he could tell Leslie that “it is over” in front of Markman. 

            On October 3, 2000, Markman advised her probation officer that she desired to move to Virginia with Houseman. On October 4, 2000, Leslie received a call at work from Houseman advising her that his father had died and that he needed her to console him in his grief. This was a ruse used to lore Leslie to Houseman and Marksman as Houseman’s father was not dead. She left work early to go to see Houseman. Outside of her killers, that was the last anyone saw Leslie alive.

            Leslie White’s body was found in the trunk of an abandoned ‘junked’ car on a remote Virginia property linked to the Houseman family. Her arms and legs had been bound by speaker wire and her mouth was gagged. At autopsy it was determined that she had been strangled and died of suffocation and that she had been killed in Cumberland County, PA. Leslie had blood and skin under her fingernails that through DNA matched scratch marks on Markman’s neck.  For multiple days after killing Leslie, Markman and Houseman were seen driving Leslie’s Jeep Cherokee in Virginia. 

          Houseman and Markman were tried by a jury, and both were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. It was argued at trial that Markman was an active participant who held Leslie down while Houseman strangled her. It was while she held Leslie down that Markman’s neck was scratched by Leslie. Subsequently, Markman was granted a new trial due to an erroneous evidentiary ruling during her trial. The Commonwealth was set to try her again on the charge of first-degree murder and seek the death penalty a second time when Markman agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and a life without parole sentence.                             

Commonwealth v. Tyler Mitchell Bradshaw (3479-2012)

Commonwealth v. Shante Bruce Rice (3481-2012) 

Victim: Linda Ness

      On November 18, 2012, Linda Ness was working at the Hess gas station on the Carlisle Pike in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County.  Surveillance footage showed that at approximately 10:30 PM, two masked individuals entered the store. They entered the store with the purpose of committing an armed robbery. In total four individuals were involved in the planning and commission of the robbery. Shante Bruce Rice participated in the planning, ‘cased’ the store out moments prior to the robbery by feigning the need to use the bathroom, served as a lookout during the actual robbery, and most importantly provided the handgun used during the robbery. Tyler Mitchell Bradshaw was one of the two men who entered the store. Bradshaw brandished the gun and demanded Linda to hand over the money. He made his demand at least twice before fatally shooting Linda. All four conspirators then fled the scene. They did not get any money from their robbery attempt. Linda Ness lost her life. Rice and Bradshaw were tried by jury and were each found guilty of second-degree murder.  Linda’s daughter-in-law provided a victim impact statement at the time of Rice and Bradshaw’s sentencing. In part, she wrote the following:

I’m not sure the defendants even thought about the impact this would have on our families or even their families. I’m not sure they truly care. There are some in our family who feel they should spend the rest of their lives in prison and shouldn’t be put to death. That putting them to death would be a blessing for them. I will tell you that I feel none of them should be able to see the light of day. For them to be sentenced to life in prison without parole is a blessing. They will get to see their families by visitation at least once a week where we can’t ever see Linda again. Even though their visits will be with glass between them they can look at their family and tell them they love them. We can’t do this with Linda…    

Commonwealth v. Raymond Peake (2579-2010)

Victim: Todd Getgen

On May 21, 2010, Todd Getgen brought his custom-made rifle to the Pennsylvania Game Lands Rifle Range in North Middleton Township, Cumberland County. At some point while Todd was at the range, another individual by the name of Raymond Peake decided that he wanted Todd’s custom-made rifle. Determine to take the rifle, Peake shot and killed Todd Getgen and stole his rifle. During the prosecution of this case the Commonwealth gave Peake notice of it’s intention to seek a first-degree murder conviction and the imposition of the death penalty. Prior to a scheduled pretrial hearing in this case, Peake advised his defense attorney that he was willing to plead “no contest” to second-degree murder and accept a life without parole sentence in return for the Commonwealth not to pursue first degree murder and a potential death sentence. The Commonwealth, in consultation with Todd’s family agreed to this disposition relying upon the fact that the sentence was life without the possibility of parole. Since that time, Raymond Peake has repeatedly attempted to overturn his plea and sentence through court appeals. All his attempts have been denied by the courts. In her email to our office, quoted in part above, Todd’s widow wrote the following concerning the possibility that Peake might get another chance to escape his prison sentence:

…Now we have to relive the trauma all over again. Real people are affected by the decisions made by public officials. I don’t think people who advocate for the rights of prisoners and criminals ever really consider the impact of their proposed actions on the families of those who were needlessly killed. It’s frustrating to hear the word “fairness” being applied to a murderer’s sentence. Where was the “fairness” when that man decided to end Todd’s life? Todd will never get a second chance and his murderer shouldn’t either. 

Commonwealth v. Scott Lynwood Anderson (1498-1994)

Victim: New Cumberland Police Officer Willis Cole

            On August 19th, 1994, Officer Willis Cole was shot and killed after responding to a robbery in progress at a coin shop in the 200 block of Fourth Street in New Cumberland, Cumberland County. Scott Lynwood Anderson, along with Seifullah Abdul-Salaam, drove from Harrisburg to New Cumberland with the intent to rob the owner of the coin shop. Both men entered the shop, armed with handguns. Anderson jumped over the counter and violently assaulted the owner of the shop. Both men then subdued, bound, and beat the owner during their robbery attempt. While the robbery was still in progress, the police were notified of the possible robbery and Officer Willis Cole responded to the call. When he arrived on scene he confronted both robbers as they exited the store. He ordered both men to stop. Anderson eventually complied with his request. Abdul-Salaam, however, escaped. Abdul-Salaam ran around the block and came up behind Officer Cole. He then proceeded to fire at Officer Cole, striking and killing the officer. Anderson and Abdul-Salaam then fled the scene. Both were later apprehended and charged with Officer Cole’s murder. Anderson was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder for his role in the death of Officer Willis Cole.  

Commonwealth v. Arthur Leroy Wolfe, III (8 CR 1986)

Victim: David G. McBride

            On January 4, 1986, Arthur Leroy Wolfe, III, along with James Robinson, stopped at a Sunoco Gas Station in Enola, Cumberland County, with the intent to rob the business. The two men had been driving around for a number of hours with the intent to commit a robbery, ostensibly to put gas into the car they were driving. Earlier they had discussed robbing a bar but ultimately decided against that. Along the way, Robinson stopped to obtain a shotgun to use in their planned robbery. They stopped at an Exxon Gas Station but decided against robbing that establishment because the attendant was Wolfe’s friend. They later stopped at the Sunoco Station in Enola and ‘cased out’ the place but aborted their attempted robbery because there were too many customers at the station. They then decided to break into cars while driving around. Ultimately, they decided to return to the Sunoco Station at 1:30 AM and commit an armed robbery. In accordance with their plan, Wolfe lured the attendant, David G. McBride, out of his secured booth on the pretext of needing the bathroom key. Robinson was waiting for David with the shotgun. Wolfe proceeded to begin pumping gas into his car, during which he heard a gunshot and saw David fall to the ground. Despite this occurrence, Wolfe continued to fill up his car while Robinson grabbed the money, before both men then fled the scene. The two men then drove around for another few hours before Wolfe dropped Robinson off and then he disposed of the shotgun. Wolfe and Robinson were both ultimately charged with David McBride’s murder. Wolfe pleaded guilty to a general charge of murder after which the judge was to determine of which degree of murder he was guilty. Judge George Hoffer determined he was guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced him to life in prison without parole. Wolfe has since sought over the course of many years to undue his guilty plea and his life without parole sentence.

Commonwealth v. Michael Joseph Davis (convicted in 1984) 

Victim: Florence Stauffer             

            The district attorney’s office is still researching the full details of this case. Florence Stauffer was 74 years old when she was killed. We will update Florence’s case as we learn more about the circumstances of her murder. 

As you can see from the summaries, the defendants serving life sentences for second-degree murder from Cumberland County each played a critical role in the murders for which they are serving life sentences. None of the individuals convicted of second-degree murder in Cumberland County were simply the “get-a-way” driver. Many of the cases described above involved defendants who accepted their life without parole sentences as part of a plea agreement. In those cases victims’ families were consulted and promised that each of the individuals responsible for the death of their loved ones would serve the remainder of their lives in prison. There should be explicit protection for plea agreements to second-degree murder; these pleas were negotiated for a number of reasons, including potentially removing the death penalty from consideration. All parties agreed to the resolution at the time, and the law should protect the sanctity of plea agreements.

One final note – It is absolutely critical that the rights of victims’ families should be preserved and they should be heard during this process. They are the ones who have suffered the most from the crimes the above individuals committed. 

-Seán M. McCormack, District Attorney