WAYNESBURG - Jeffrey Robert Martin, the convicted rapist and murderer of a 12-year-old Greensboro girl, will be sentenced today in Greene County Court.
President Judge H. Terry Grimes is expected to sentence the 51-year-old Fayette County man to death, but before he does, he will hold a hearing to determine whether Martin is a sexually violent sexual predator under Megan's Law.
Martin initially was scheduled for sentencing July 23, but that hearing was postponed to Aug. 21 and was again rescheduled to today.
In May, following a six-day trial, Martin was convicted of raping and strangling Gabrielle Bechen on June 13, 2006, when the girl visited the Dunkard Township horse farm where he worked.
The jury returned guilty verdicts on first-degree murder, rape and aggravated indecent assault. A day later, it decided Martin should be put to death for the crime.
Martin used a backhoe to dig a grave, where he placed the girl's body.
He also hid her all-terrain vehicle and belongings elsewhere on the farm.
Searchers looked for the girl for five days before two volunteers found the girl's ATV buried in manure. That discovery led to Martin's arrest and his eventual confession to the killing.
Martin took the stand during his trial to recant that confession. He claimed another man was responsible for the girl's death.
The jury deliberated about six hours before finding Martin guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated assault, rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, statutory sexual assault, indecent assault, abuse of a corpse and four counts of tampering with evidence.
It took less than an hour for jurors to recommend the death penalty for Martin.