Indiana County father faces death in brutal slayings

An Indiana County man will face the death penalty when he is tried for the brutal slayings of his two young daughters and estranged wife, District Attorney Patrick Dougherty said.

Dougherty said he decided to seek death by lethal injection for Lewis Beatty, 41, because of the number of people he is accused of killing, and the young ages of the children, whose throats were cut before their house was set ablaze.

“It's not an easy decision to make,” Dougherty said on Thursday at a news conference at the state police barracks outside Indiana.

Dougherty said he has “never been involved in a more horrible case” in his 11 years in the Indiana County District Attorney's office, 10 of which he spent as an assistant prosecutor.

Beatty was estranged from his wife, Christine, 33, who lived with their daughters, Sara, 6, and Amanda, 11, in East Mahoning.

State police said Beatty strangled Sara as she played with Barbie dolls, then cut her throat with a hunting knife. When Amanda returned home from school, Beatty allegedly choked her before slashing her throat, police said.

After the killings, Beatty allegedly drove to a bank in Marion Center where Christine Beatty worked. He followed her home, strangled her and cut her throat, according to the charges. Beatty then set fire to that home as well as the family residence in South Mahoning.

In Pennsylvania, death is by lethal injection. A jury must decide whether aggravating circumstances surrounding a crime outweigh any mitigating factors. Among the aggravating circumstances a jury will have to consider is whether Beatty was lying in wait or committed the killings in the commission of other felonies. If the jury is unable to reach a decision, a defendant automatically is sentenced to life in prison.

Beatty also is charged with arson and cruelty to animals for allegedly killing his childrens' dog, pony and goat.

Imposition of a death sentence in Indiana County is rare.

Of the 202 men and women sentenced to death, only one is from Indiana County, according to Department of Corrections records.

Ronald Lee Weiss was sentenced to death in 1997 for the 1978 murder of Barbara Bruzda, a 16-year-old student at Saltsburg High School. Weiss was convicted of beating the teenager to death. He was scheduled to die in 2002, but his execution was stayed pending appeals.

Richard Gazarik is a staff writer for Trib Total Media.