Pa. Superior Court affirms life sentences for pair convicted of murdering Penn State professor
The state Superior Court affirmed the life sentences Monday of the man and woman convicted in April 2018 of murdering a Penn State professor.
The three-judge panel denied arguments by George Ishler Jr. that he and Danelle Geier were improperly tried together, his confession was made under duress and Centre County President Judge Pamela Ruest improperly allowed testimony about sexual text messages.
The panel also denied Geier’s arguments that her constitutional rights were violated, the Centre County district attorney’s office failed to disclose that one of its witnesses had pending criminal charges and she and Ishler were improperly tried together.
“The mere fact that there was hostility between the co-defendants’ defenses at trial and that they presented conflicting versions as to what transpired on the date of the victim’s death does not amount to undue prejudice warranting separate trials,” state Superior Court Senior Judge Emeritus Kate Ford wrote.
Ishler and his half-niece, Geier, were charged in September 2016 by state police at Rockview with conspiring to push Ronald Bettig off a quarry in Potter Township.
They believed there was an opportunity for financial gain and staged the area to make it appear like an accident or suicide, police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause filed in August 2016.
Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna largely declined to comment about the ruling, but said, “I’m sure the (Bettig) family will be relieved to hear the sentence was affirmed.”
Assistant Public Defender Deb Lux, who represented Geier, said she was “disappointed” with the panel’s decision and is considering an appeal to both the state Superior Court and Supreme Court.
“I feel the opinion didn’t thoroughly or adequately review the issues that we had raised,” Lux said. “It would appear the three-member panel rubber stamped the trial court’s opinion in this case and did not give her a meaningful review of the issues.”
Neither Lux nor defense lawyer Karen Muir, who represented Ishler, have yet had an opportunity to speak with their clients about the ruling, they said.
Muir plans to “quickly” review the decision with Ishler so they can explore his options and decide how to proceed, she said.
Ishler, 43, is detained at Coal Township state prison in Northumberland County. Geier, 35, is detained at Muncy state prison in Lycoming County.
This story was originally published January 6, 2020 at 12:59 PM.