Man convicted of killing ex-girlfriend faces sentencing
"Some people say you've got to forgive, but I just can't."
Those are the words of Diane Demorest, a mother whose daughter died 1 1/2 years ago after being stabbed repeatedly in a Greensburg alley by her ex-boyfriend. Demorest said she will struggle to maintain her composure as she tells a judge today why she feels convicted killer Jeffrey C. West Jr. should be sent to prison for as long as possible.
West, 27, of Southwest Greensburg, was convicted of third-degree murder and aggravated assault last June for the death of Candace S. Cohen, of Hempfield Township, and for the nonfatal stabbing of Chad Baker, of Irwin. West is scheduled to appear before Westmoreland County Judge John E. Blahovec at 9 a.m. for sentencing.
That West was not convicted of first-degree murder, a verdict that would have guaranteed a life sentence, outraged the family of the victims, especially Demorest, who tried to lunge at West just moments after the verdict was read, but was restrained by sheriff's deputies and family members.
Defense attorney Jerome L. Tierney said the case against West doesn't support such a serious penalty.
"This is not a case where Jeffrey was lying in wait to stab Candace or to kill her or to hurt anyone, for that matter," Tierney said. "That jury said, unequivocally, this is not first-degree murder."
Because of the apparent tension during trial, Westmoreland County Sheriff Chris Scherer said the number of deputies in Blahovec's courtroom will be increased for today's hearing.
"In a case like that, you never know what's going to happen," Scherer said.
Tierney said jail time has changed West for the better. Being in a cell curtailed possible relapses into drug use and the stress of court had West reflecting often on where his life went wrong, the attorney said.
"Based upon his incarceration and mentally and spiritually having to go through that trial, the addiction is gone," Tierney said. "At some point in time when he goes back into society, he won't have that problem. ... He knows more about himself now than he probably ever did."
To a grieving Demorest, West's personal advancements mean nothing. She said she lost her brother-in-law, Ron, to a homicide in Homewood about a decade ago and knows the emotional reality of today's hearing. She hopes for a stiff sentence, but said she realizes even that may leave her unsatisfied.
"The most he can get. That's all we can ask for now. ... It doesn't matter what he gets," she said. "It won't bring her back."
Cohen, 20, left behind a daughter, Lexis, now 7. "The other day she was crying. She said, 'I just want my mom back,'" Demorest said. "That just kills you. It's tough."
Cohen died in a Pittsburgh hospital after West left her lying on Herb Friedlander Way with eight stab wounds, according to investigation reports. Two of the wounds were in her back and the murder weapon, a knife with an 8-inch blade, pierced her heart. The alley is lit by street lamps. It runs past a side entrance to Mr. Toad's, a bar located on East Otterman Street.
West told police that he went to the bar, carrying the knife for protection, shortly before 1 a.m. when Cohen called him, asking that they meet to discuss their failed relationship. In his confession, he also told the police that he wanted Cohen to "feel the heartbreak I felt." Family members said West moved out of Cohen's mobile home about two weeks before the stabbing.
West fled from the alley after stabbing Cohen. Several witnesses, including Baker, gave chase. When Baker caught up to West, a scuffle ensued. Baker, who had been stabbed four times, was later found on South Main Street.
When authorities found West outside of 519 Westminster Ave., several blocks from the Greensburg police station, he was covered in blood and initially uncooperative, investigators said.
West told a psychiatrist that he had consumed a two-week supply of antidepressant pills and a "huge" dose of methadone before he went to meet Cohen. Methadone is a drug generally used to wean people away from heroin.
On the witness stand, West said he was trying to defend himself and that he never intended to kill Cohen.
"I just broke," he told jurors. "I just snapped."
First Assistant District Attorney Allen Powanda said the maximum sentence West faces is 30 to 60 years. He said his goal is to ensure that West will serve the bulk of that time for the brutal attack.
"I think the sentence should be at least 25 to 50," he said.
