Fayette County mom may be released on bond in son's '76 drowning

A Fayette County judge has ruled that Glenda Masciarelli may be released on bond while awaiting trial in the 1976 drowning death of her 2-year-old son.

In an order filed Tuesday afternoon, Judge John F. Wagner Jr. set a percentage bond at $125,000, meaning Masciarelli may post 10 percent of the amount, or $12,500.

If she posts bond and fails to attend a court hearing or abide by pre-trial supervision conditions, she may be responsible for the remaining amount.

Masciarelli, 53, of Nicholson, has been held at the Fayette County Prison since early November, when state police charged her with criminal homicide in the death of her only child, Alfred P. Masciarelli Jr.

State police allege Masciarelli admitted that she made up a story about a bearded man abducting the boy in a wooded area near her parents' Georges home on Sept. 26, 1976.

Masciarelli also allegedly confessed to harming Alfred, but claimed she didn't remember how.

Alfred's body was retrieved from about 18 inches of water in a creek near the home.

Prosecutors opposed bond because they claim to have evidence that might support a first-degree murder conviction and automatic life sentence.

In Pennsylvania, all criminal defendants may be eligible for bond except those facing the possibility of the death penalty or a life sentence.