BEAVER, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania woman has been sentenced to 16 to 32 months in jail for fatally shooting her niece during a party celebrating the defendant's wedding.
A Beaver County judge sentenced 31-year-old Christina Nicole George-Harvan, of Patterson Township, on Wednesday. She had been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment in March.
FREE APPS | NOW | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
- Pittsburgh ranked 2nd best city in America for baseball fans
- School lunch lady fired after providing free lunches to kids who couldn't afford them
- Plum youth pastor accused of raping 16-year-old girl
- PHOTOS: Ex-Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon goes nuts, gets tossed
Police say George-Harvan accidentally fired one shot into the abdomen of 21-year-old Katelyn Francis of Fairmont, West Virginia, in April 2014. She was shot outside a New Brighton bar where they had celebrated George-Harvan's marriage, during an argument over who would drive the drunken groom's truck.
A defense attorney said the gun went off accidentally when George-Harvan was moving it inside the truck.
"The loss of Katie's life will impact me forever," George-Harvan said in court Wednesday. "I am not asking for forgiveness, I just want you to know I am sorry I can never undo what I have done."
Channel 11's Amy Marcinkiewicz reported the victim's family wanted George-Harvan to receive the maximum sentence of five years. Although they were disappointed by the outcome, they knew the sentence wouldn't bring back Katelyn Francis.
"Not a day goes by that we don't think about this, that I don't see Katelyn and think about her. It's just been horrible," said Julie Francis, Katelyn Francis' mother.
Prosecutors said George-Harvan shouldn't have been handling the gun under the circumstances.
- Trial starts for bride accused of killing niece after wedding
- Bride to stand trial in niece's death after wedding
WPXI
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
