A former Unity man who was convicted of killing a Ligonier businessman has filed another appeal claiming his prison sentence of more than 14 years is excessive.
Anthony Blaine Mowry, 23, contended that his trial lawyers did not do enough to challenge his sentence. State appeals courts have ruled there were sufficient grounds for Westmoreland County Judge Al Bell to sentence Mowry to serve 14 years and nine months to 32 years and six months in prison.
Bell on Wednesday appointed attorney Tim Andrews to take over Mowry's case.
During his trial and the first round of appeals, Mowry was represented by the county Public Defender's office.
Mowry was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the Sept. 17, 2008, slaying of William McMichael Jones, 75, in his Ligonier home.
Mowry attacked Jones with his fists and bludgeoned him with brass candlesticks and weighted chimes from a grandfather clock, then slashed him 26 times with a carving knife and meat cleaver, according to trial testimony.
Mowry then set fire to the home and fled in the victim's Cadillac.
The prosecution contended Mowry, an Army private, was absent without leave from his Texas base at the time of the killing. He was arrested when he returned to Texas.
The prosecution sought a first-degree murder conviction and a mandatory life sentence against Mowry.
At trial, defense attorneys contended Mowry, who claimed he was molested by Jones as a teenager, acted in a fit of rage after consensual sex with Jones.
In the latest, handwritten appeal, Mowry argued that his overall sentence was excessive. Bell imposed three consecutive sentences. Mowry argued the sentences should run concurrently.
Mowry is eligible for parole in 2023.
Rich Cholodofsky is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.
