Two people have been convicted in the shooting death of a 71-year-old Westmoreland County woman.
On Friday, a jury found Melissa Fox-Beacom, 51, and Matthew Bates, 20, guilty of first-degree murder, criminal solicitation, criminal conspiracy and abuse of a corpse, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office says.
A third defendant, Robert Jack, is still awaiting court proceedings.
Prosecutors say the three defendants conspired to kill St. Clair Township resident Alice Robson, who was Fox-Beacom’s mother.
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Robson was reportedly shot twice in the head on Dec. 11, 2023, while sitting in the living room of her Furnace Lane home. Her body was found three days later in a crawlspace under her porch.
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Testimony in court showed Bates gave the gun to Jack so he could kill Robson, at Bates and Fox-Beacom’s direction, the DA’s office says. The gun was later found in Donegal Lake
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Fox-Beacom and Bates will be sentenced in the next 90 days.
“Assistant District Attorneys Adam Barr and Steve Reddy prosecuted this case with the highest degree of professionalism and secured justice for Alice Robson’s family,” Westmoreland County DA Nicole Ziccarelli said. “We are so grateful for the jury’s time and consideration in delivering a swift resolution after four days of testimony.”
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