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Martin guilty on all charges
WAYNESBURG - A Greene County jury Thursday convicted Jeffrey Robert Martin on all counts, including first-degree murder and child rape, and the panel is now deciding if Martin should be sentenced to death or life in prison.
The jury of six men and six women deliberated for just over six hours Wednesday and Thursday before they decided Martin was guilty of raping and killing 12-year-old Gabrielle Bechen of Greensboro more than two years ago.
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"I am very happy with the verdict, but I couldn't have done it without these fine police officers," said First Assistant District Attorney Linda Chambers, referring to state Trooper Thomas Schuster, Cpl. William Barnhart and others who investigated the crime. "They did a fantastic job on this case."
The penalty phase of the case will continue at 8:30 a.m. today.
"The cloak of innocence has been lifted. Jeffrey Martin is now deemed a murderer, convicted of killing Gabrielle Bechen," said Greene County District Attorney Marjorie Fox, who is leading the prosecution in the penalty phase of the case.
She said in her opening statement Thursday that the commonwealth already has established two aggravating circumstances at trial that could lead jurors to conclude Martin should be put to death. Martin sexually assaulted Gabrielle, and he killed her to keep her quiet, Fox said.
Fox called one witness, Shannon Presock, Gabrielle's cousin and neighbor, who tearfully explained how the girl's death affected her and her family. Presock said that Gabrielle was a "tomboy, but still a princess." While she was small, she did not shirk from playing rough with the boys in the neighborhood.
"I miss the little things like opening my blinds and seeing Gabby make faces at me, or yelling at her for fighting with the boys, or chasing me around the yard with a bug," Presock said.
When Gabrielle went missing, Presock said she thought she would come back home.
"As the search went on, I prayed for a reasonable excuse for why she had not returned," Presock said. "Why? She didn't deserve this. Nobody deserves this."
Martin's defense team will attempt to convince jurors that Martin should be sentenced to life in prison because of mitigating factors. Martin's attorney, Harry Cancelmi, told the jurors that Martin's background and personal history could persuade them to show mercy.
Regardless of the sentence, "he will remain apart from society forevermore," Cancelmi said. "It will be your choice if Mr. Martin should remain ... in prison for the remainder of his life or if he should be killed."
The defense called two of Martin's eight siblings, who testified about the difficult childhood they experienced. The family lived for a time in Mather, where the house was often dirty and there often was not enough food to eat.
Jeffrey Martin's older brother, Donald Martin of Nemacolin, said that his mother spent her money on alcohol rather than food. Eventually, Donald Martin decided to run away and live with his father, but Jeffrey Martin remained at the house in Mather.
"It was a struggle," Donald Martin said. "Every day, I was waking up in dirty clothes and going to school in dirty clothes. I couldn't take it anymore, so I ran away."
Marc Tabackman, a forensic psychologist, examined Martin to find mitigating circumstances that could be presented during the penalty phase.
"Mr. Martin was also a victim over the years of many things," Tabackman testified.
Jeffrey Martin was apparently hit by a car when he was 6 years old, and the resulting head injury may have affected his mental development and his ability to make decisions, said Tabackman.
Tabackman estimated that Martin has an intelligence quotient of 70 to 75, well below the average IQ of 100. Tabackman also said Martin has a history of being abused physically and sexually as a child and young adult.
During cross-examination, Fox noted that Tabackman's primary source of information concerning Martin's background is Martin, himself.
The jury found 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.
Martin raped and strangled Gabrielle June 13, 2006, when she came to the Dunkard Township horse farm where he worked. He then used a backhoe to dig a grave, where he placed her body, and 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. That discovery led to Martin's arrest and eventual confession to the killing.
He recanted that confession when he testified in his defense earlier this week and claimed another man was responsible for the girl's death.
martin guilty on all charges : 5/9/2008
don't give the excuse for his actions based on his childhood or I.Q. He was smart enough to know that using lime would hide evidence. Prison is too good for him... Dispose of him as he did Gabby.
Martin : 5/9/2008
Whatever he gets, regardless, GOD will make him pay . Many Prayers for the Bechen Family, this must be so hard.
martin guilty on all charges : 5/9/2008
I know the martin family very well and all 8 of his siblings and they turned out decent despite their childhood. Everyone in life has tramatic experiences, but thats no excuse to murder and rape a child. If this happened to my child i'd want him to suffer in the worst way. The only bad thing about him getting death or life is that either way he'll live in isolation and be protected on death row until the day he dies. I just hope the family can get some closure now and feel that some justice has been done.
Martin : 5/9/2008
One of the major problems with this country ispeople making excuses for why a person would do such terrible things. There are no excuses they are defective and need to be put to death, that way they never can do something like that again. And I don't mean in 10 to 15 yrs, next month would be giving him too much time. The do gooders are will bring this country down.
martin guilty on all charges. : 5/9/2008
I'm happy to see justice done for once in Greene County. Martins childhood should not play a role in the sentencing, its 'junk science'. Niether should his IQ. He was smart enough & clever enough to kill, and hide, the evidence of his crime for 5 days. People need to 'own up' for thier misdeeds and stop all this baloney about how they were victims early in their lives. Everybody has a bad childhood, you get over it and move on. Kill him and let him burn in Hell.
martin guilty on all charges : 5/9/2008
I'm sick of these lawyers that always bring the past into a case as an excuse for murder .My opinion is if youtake a life by purposely killing some one that you should be readdy to pay with your own life. These bleeding heart saps that feel the death penalty is wrong would see it a bit different if it was an innocent person in thier family that were murdered.
martin : 5/9/2008
Guilty Guilty Guilty finally these yahoos in greene county did something right!
MARTIN : 5/9/2008
His IQ should play no part in this. An IQ of 70-75 is considered someone of a normal state. This IQ Score makes him of normal standing. So this is no excuse for raping and murdering an innocent child.
Martin Guilty : 5/9/2008
I am so glad that he was found guilty. Regardless of how you were raised or how horrible your chidhood was, you make the conscience decision to continue to live the life you live. You can either decide to come up from the gallows or continue to live a worthless life. Martin chose to live a worthless life. I have no sympathy for him, and I pray that the jury doesn't either. Give Gabbys family some justice in knowing the monster that killed thier daughter is now burning in hell, paying for his sins.
martin : 5/9/2008
This is a very complicated case. This is not a person who acted, this is a person of low intelligence who reacted. The death penalty is used for people who go out into society preying on people. He did not steal her out of her house. Do you think this would have happened if she had not been on the farm without her parents? It's horrible, it's tragic, it's complicated. But take time to think about it and don't just jump to easy conclusions.
martin : 5/9/2008
This is not a complicated thing. He is guilty by his peers of murdering a child. No excuses. Stop your whining and EXECUTE him. No long term death row. Do it now. Way to go Greene County!
Hold your babies close! : 5/9/2008
Wake up parents, This monster was the man next door to Gabby! Little ones cannot defend themselves! Know where your babies are at all times. Killing him is the only right thing to do. God bless the jurors who understood this!
my uncle : 5/9/2008
I've known this man my entire life. He has always been a low life. He is my uncle and I've always known him to be capable of doing something like this. He has no remorse he deserves the death penalty. If folks even knew of half the other things he's done to people in his family and other who were close to him.
To the my uncle poster : 5/9/2008
Obviously your not one of Donald's kids. I guess your mother/father thinks he deserves death?
Jeff Martin : 5/9/2008
No matter his IQ or his childhood, Jeff Martin knew he ahd done something wrong or he would not have tried to cover it up or lied about it. Millions of people have low IQs and crappy childhoods they do not go out and rape/murder children. The fact of the matter is we as a society make excuses for people to often. He killed so he should be killed.
Prison : 5/9/2008
Of course, prison wouldn't be a picnic either. Even prisioners save special treatment for those who kill children.
death row : 5/9/2008
The truth is he will probably never be put to death, we the taxpayers will continue to keep him alive appeal after appeal here in the great state of PA.
comment to "m" : 5/9/2008
Jeff is also my uncle and as to your comment about us thinking he deserves death, don't you?? I look at my own child and wonder how I would act if something like this happened to her. No matter how much I love my uncle I couldn't beg for his life to be spared. The only bad part about him getting the death penalty is that he'll be isolated and protected on death row. He'll never suffer the way poor Gabby and her family have.
martin : 5/9/2008
it's time for him to pay for what he done don't wait gabby didn't get a chance to wait so kill the jerk now.
martian guilty : 5/9/2008
death penalty an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth
Martin Guilty : 5/9/2008
I am a victim of rape. I thank Dave Pollock and the jury for 15 years of justice for me and my family. The bad thing is that he has got out and his life goes on. My biggest fear is that he is doing it to someone else. At most Gabby's family can find some peace in knowing that he will never be able to hurt another innocent human being. My heart goes out to Gabby's family. I consider myself lucky. Just know we are all thinking of you.
