On June 6, 1993, a group of about a dozen men traveled to Monessen, lured William Michael Lucas out of his house and ferociously kicked and punched him into unconsciousness.
A week later, Lucas, 34, was dead and his heart and liver were transplanted into then Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey.
On Thursday, 7 &*#189; years later, Fayette County drug lord Ronald Whethers was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the Lucas murder and various drug charges for running a drug trafficking ring. Whethers, 41, of Edenborn, also was charged with running his drug organization from prison.
In all, eight men, including Whethers, have been convicted for their roles in the Lucas slaying. In addition to Whethers, they are:
Michael 'Skip' McCain, 34, formerly of Uniontown. McCain pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison.
Floyd 'Jelly' Roundtree, 40, formerly of New York City. Roundtree pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and is serving an eight- to 16-year prison sentence.
Christopher Garry, 29, formerly of Monessen. Garry is the only man to be convicted in a jury trial. He was found guilty in 1994 of third-degree murder and sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison.
Timothy 'Hitman' Taylor, 30, formerly of Uniontown. Taylor was the first Whethers operative to cooperate with authorities and told police he started the fatal beating when he struck Lucas over the head with a gun. Taylor pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and is serving a 7 &*#189;- to 15-year sentence.
Michael 'Fat Mike' McKoy, 34, formerly of Uniontown. McKoy pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison.
Ian Littlejohn, 30, formerly of Uniontown. Littlejohn pleaded guilty in 1996 to third-degree murder and agreed to cooperate with authorities. He was sentenced to 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison.
Christopher Johnson, 25, formerly of McClellandtown, is serving a 7 &*#189;- to 15-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in 1996. Johnson also agreed to cooperate with authorities.
Nathaniel Hunter, 29, formerly of Uniontown, was originally convicted by a Westmoreland County jury of third-degree murder and sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. But Hunter's conviction was eventually overturned by a state appeals court and he was acquitted of the murder charge during a retrial last year.
