Gaydos, Mihalek, Shaffer and Policy Committee Highlight Need for Accountability in Second-Degree Murder Sentencing

August 14, 2026

ALLEGHENY COUNTY-Pennsylvania's lack of a clear sentencing framework for second-degree murder could produce inconsistent sentences, overwhelm courts and force victims' families to repeatedly relive the murders of their loved ones, prosecutors testified Thursday during a House Republican Policy Committee hearing.

The hearing, "Protecting Pennsylvania: Accountability and Justice in Second-Degree Murder Sentencing," was hosted by Reps. Valerie Gaydos (R-Moon Township), Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny) and Jeremy Shaffer (R-Allegheny) at the Moon Township Municipal Building.

In March, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that automatically imposing life without parole in every second-degree murder case, without considering an offender's individual role and level of responsibility, violates the Pennsylvania Constitution. The court gave the General Assembly 120 days to establish a new sentencing framework, but the deadline passed without a final measure reaching the governor's desk.

"No court ruling or legislative action can undo the loss these families have endured, but we can ensure their voices are heard and respected as Pennsylvania determines its path forward," said House Republican Policy Committee Chairman David H. Rowe (R-Snyder/Union/Mifflin/Juniata). "Victims' families deserve more than uncertainty. They deserve meaningful participation in the process and confidence that the justice system will never forget the life that was taken."

Rowe opened the hearing by reading letters submitted by Stella Getgen and Christine Hickman, the wife and sister of murder victim Todd Getgen. Both described the loss their family has endured since his 2010 murder and the renewed trauma caused by the possibility that his killer's sentence could be reconsidered.

Todd Getgen's son was 6 years old when his father was murdered and has grown up without him. In her letter, Stella Getgen described having to explain to her young son why his father would never return, while assuring him that the man responsible would remain in prison. Hickman wrote that while her brother's killer received life, Todd "didn't get life; he got death."

"Pennsylvania must get second-degree murder sentencing right-for victims, families and public safety," said Gaydos. "Law enforcement has made clear how serious this issue is, yet without a consistent sentencing framework, our judicial system is in chaos and public safety is in jeopardy. Pennsylvanians should be outraged that House Philadelphia Democrats chose politics over public safety. It's time to restore the rule of law, hold violent offenders accountable and demand that House Democrats take up this legislation immediately."

Testimony was provided by Ronald M. Wabby Jr., deputy district attorney for the Critical Case Review Unit, Appellate Division, Allegheny County District Attorney's Office; Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli; and Indiana County District Attorney Robert Manzi.

Wabby said Allegheny County has more than 160 individuals convicted of second-degree murder in cases dating to the 1970s. Drawing on his experience with juvenile-lifer resentencings, he warned that without a statewide framework, inconsistent sentences and years of additional appeals could force victims' families to repeatedly revisit murders committed decades earlier.

"There is no finality that I can give a victim," Wabby testified. "When a victim is forced to relive events decades later, I can't explain to you the pain I saw in these people's eyes."

Mihalek, a former Allegheny County prosecutor, criticized House leaders for allowing partisan politics to derail a bipartisan sentencing solution, stressing that accountability for violent offenders is fundamental to public safety.

"In a day and age when the average Pennsylvania resident is done with partisan nonsense, House leaders played a dangerous game by waiting until the final hours of the court's deadline to amend a commonsense bill first passed by the Senate," Mihalek said. "Holding accountable violent criminals, convicted of some of the most atrocious crimes possible against their fellow man, is not a political game - it's a cornerstone of public safety. I'm happy to discuss prison reforms for nonviolent offenders and offering hands up to help them change their lives, but I am completely opposed to simply unlocking the cell doors for Pennsylvania's most violent criminals."

Ziccarelli testified that approximately 1,100 people currently serving second-degree murder sentences could seek resentencing or possible release. She said the resulting proceedings would impose significant costs on taxpayers, strain courts and prosecutors, and jeopardize public safety.

She recommended preserving victims' statutory rights to participate in parole proceedings, protecting the finality of plea agreements and establishing a mandatory minimum sentence while retaining life without parole for the most serious cases.

Ziccarelli also discussed a pending Westmoreland County case involving the murder of Anthony Williams, a 31-year-old father of five. His family waited five years for a jury verdict but continues to await a final sentence because no legislative framework is in place.

Manzi rejected portrayals of second-degree murder defendants as innocent bystanders. He explained that a conviction requires participation as a principal or accomplice in an underlying felony such as robbery, rape, arson, burglary or kidnapping, during which a death occurs. He then detailed several Indiana County cases involving shootings, beatings and other brutal murders.

Shaffer said testimony from law enforcement underscored the seriousness of the issue and the need for a statewide solution that protects victims' families and ensures uniform justice.

"I've expressed my disappointment regarding the situation surrounding second-degree murder sentencing. It was good to hear from law enforcement officials about the seriousness of this issue. We need to move forward with a solution to protect victims' families and have uniform justice across the state," said Shaffer.

The prosecutors expressed support for key elements of Senate Bill 1400, which would establish a minimum sentence of 35 years with a maximum of life imprisonment, preserve life without parole under specified circumstances, and create a structured parole process for certain people already serving second-degree murder sentences.

House Democrats amended House Bill 1042 to remove the Senate's bipartisan sentencing framework and add unrelated medical parole and other provisions. Those changes prevented the legislation from receiving final approval before the court's deadline and perpetuated the legal uncertainty facing prosecutors, courts and victims' families.

Written testimony was also submitted by John Rago, a Duquesne University Kline School of Law professor, Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing member, and chairman of the Center for Victims board; the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association; and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 91.

The House Republican Policy Committee will continue examining second-degree murder sentencing at another public hearing in the coming weeks.

Full hearing can be viewed here.

Representative David H. Rowe
85th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Nancy Nilson
717.787.3443
[email protected]