Jury issues death sentence of 'man-child' Melvin Knight in Greensburg Six torture-murder case
Melvin Knight will be returned to death row after a Westmoreland County jury Thursday night condemned him to die by lethal injection.
The Westmoreland County jury of six men and six women deliberated more than seven hours before determining Knight should be sentenced to death for his role in the February 2010 torture slaying of Jennifer Daugherty.
“Jennifer has finally gotten justice again,” said Daugherty’s mother, Denise Murphy, outside the courtroom after the verdict.
As Daugherty’s family members embraced, Knight showed no emotion as he was led from the courtroom.
Knight was originally sentenced to death after he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping and other offenses in 2012. A state appeals court in 2016 vacated the death sentence and ordered a new penalty trial for Knight.
It appeared that the jury might be unable to reach a verdict on sentencing after it sent a note to Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway that they were deadlocked.
The judge ordered deliberations to continue, and three hours later, at 8:30 p.m., the jury returned with the death sentence.
The judge then imposed the new death sentence.
Daugherty’s parents and siblings, in court throughout the eight-day trial, said that even after nearly nine years, hearing the grisly details of the torture and murder remain a difficult exercise.
“This trial was like it started all over again,” Murphy said. “The emotions were just as bad now as they were then.”
In his closing argument to the jurors hours earlier, District Attorney John Peck described Knight as mean, vengeful, vindictive and so beyond redemption that he should die.
Knight and five roommates held the 30-year-old woman from Mt. Pleasant, who was mentally impaired, captive in their Greensburg apartment for more than two days as they tortured and then killed her.
“It’s a rarity to have a death penalty case in Westmoreland County and across the state. Only the worst of the worst defendants are right for the death penalty, and this defendant is one of the worst,” Peck said of Knight.
Among other reasons to spare his client’s life, defense attorney Tim Dawson told jurors that Knight has intellectual and emotional disabilities that rendered him ineligible for the death penalty. Dawson claimed that Knight was under the influence and domination of co-defendant Ricky Smyrnes, who Dawson compared to Svengali and a puppet master.
“My client was the perfect fool,” Dawson said in his closing argument. “Ricky Smyrnes used Melvin as his muscle and directed the death of Jennifer Daugherty. He was the Charles Manson of these minions.”
Peck recounted Daugherty’s last days in which she was beaten, assaulted and stabbed to death. Her body, bound with Christmas lights and garland, was found stuffed into a trash bin and left under a truck in the snow-covered parking lot at Greensburg Salem High School.
Peck argued that Knight’s actions were a product of his own self-interest to hide his crimes against Daugherty, which included allegations that he raped her.
“He’s taking full and complete advantage of her,” Peck told jurors. “The defendant crossed the line. He knew if he didn’t keep this darkness to himself, all his actions were motivated to prevent this rape from being discovered by anyone.”
Knight and the group voted to kill Daugherty in an effort to cover up the abuse leveled against her, which also included beatings and forcing her drink concoctions of urine, feces, cigarette ash and prescription pills, Peck said.
Knight’s mental disabilities do not preclude him from receiving the death penalty, Peck said, adding that Knight knew right from wrong and understood the consequences of his actions.
“I ask you to return the proper penalty in this case, which can only be death,” Peck told the jury.
After hearing eight days of testimony, jurors were being asked to decide if Knight lives or dies based on whether aggravating circumstances about Knight and his crimes outweigh mitigating factors the defense claims should be considered to spare his life.
Aggravating circumstances in the case include allegations that the murder was committed during the course of other felony offenses — that Knight tortured, beat and raped Daugherty.
The defense said six mitigating factors can be found to support a life prison sentence for Knight, 29, formerly of Swissvale, Allegheny County.
Dawson described Knight as a “man-child” and disputed evidence from Knight’s former fiancée, mother of his child and co-defendant, who was the key witness against him. Dawson argued no physical evidence supported the testimony of Amber Meidinger, who told jurors last week that she saw Knight sexually assault Daugherty.
Two experts hired by the defense testified that Knight had below average intelligence and that he suffered from numerous mental illnesses that rendered him unable to understand his criminal conduct.
Knight was also described as having the mental age of a child between the ages of 9 and 12, Dawson said.
Dawson told jurors that the horror of Daugherty’s death and feelings of revenge against one of her killers should not be considered in determining Knight’s sentence.
“It’s undisputed this young girl was tragically tortured and killed by the Greensburg Six,” Dawson said. “What separates you from a mob is that you must decide this case based on the law. You cannot be overwhelmed by passion, prejudice or any other arbitrary factor. Nothing you do with your verdict will bring back Jennifer Daugherty.”
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.
