Mother of murder victim laments defendants' sentences
Brenda Nemec has watched three murder trials, three guilty pleas and five sentencing hearings but still finds it hard to come to terms with her son's slaying on the railroad tracks in Manor.
Nemec was in court Tuesday to witness sentencing hearings for three men who participated in the May 30, 2006 shooting death of 25-year-old William Teck of Hempfield.
"I'm not happy," Nemec said of the sentences imposed yesterday against Dewayne Shank, 28, his brother Nathan Shank, 23, and Ryan Bronowski, 24. The trio participated in the plot to rob and kill Teck, along with gunman Jason Maple and his girlfriend, Jennifer Vinsek.
"I'm devastated over this. I'll never have closure. They took my son brutally," Nemec said.
Maple, 27, of Penn Township, was convicted of first-degree murder after his first trial ended in a mistrial. A Westmoreland County jury found Vinsek, 27, of Greensburg, guilty of second-degree murder. They are both serving sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Police said Maple fired one shot into Teck's back as he attempted to flee from his assailant. Maple said he was angry with Teck after Vinsek claimed that Teck ransacked her apartment and threatened to rape her.
Vinsek was accused of luring Teck and a friend from a diner and helping to plan the murder.
The Shank brothers, both of Adamsburg, and Bronowski, of Penn Township, testified against Maple and Vinsek and as a result were allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of third-degree murder.
In court yesterday, Judge Debra A. Pezze imposed sentences far below the maximum penalties allowed. Each man face a maximum sentence of 70 to 140 years' imprisonment.
Dewayne Shank, who had a lengthy criminal record, was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. Nathan Shank, who ran into the woods after Teck with the gun-toting Maple, was sentenced to 8 to 20 years behind bars.
Bronowski, who drove the Shanks to Manor and then drove Maple back home after Teck was shot, received a prison term of 5 to 10 years.
Pezze said each man showed remorse and merited some leniency because they helped prosecutors to convict Maple and Vinsek. But she indicated they were not without blame for Teck's death.
"There is no doubt in my mind Mr. Maple doesn't have the character or the guts to carry out this crime on his own," Pezze said. "I'll never understand how not one of you had the courage to stop it."
District Attorney John Peck did not recommend any sentences for the three men, but acknowledged their cooperation was necessary to convict Maple and Vinsek.
