PITTSBURGH — A western Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to life in prison for bludgeoning the elderly grandfather of his estranged wife with a tire iron while robbing the man of silver and gold coins that the defendant pawned.
Thirty-six-year-old Jason Kuhns, of Brentwood, was sentenced Thursday in the April 2011 death of 90-year-old Pittsburgh furrier Cuddy Briskin.
Allegheny County prosecutors say Kuhns was getting divorced from Briskin's granddaughter at the time of the murder, and that his crimes were fueled by his drug habit.
Kuhns and his mother claim he's innocent and say he'll appeal his May conviction.
Allegheny County Judge Anthony Mariani tells Kuhns he was "like an atom bomb that went off in the middle of your family and Mr. Briskin's family" saying "You've devastated everyone around you."
WPXI
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