Jul 12, 2025 By Garrett Neese 3 min read

A Redstone Township man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after a Fayette County jury found him guilty on all counts related to the fatal shooting of another man outside his house in April 2024.

Norman Pennington, 67, had been arrested that month days after state police found the body of Anthony Dicenzo under a tarp in the backseat of Dicenzo’s car on Riffle Hollow Road in German Township. Along with a shell casing, investigators found slips of paper in the car with Pennington’s name and address.

Dicenzo, 83, of Brownsville, had paid $30,000 to Pennington in an effort to buy a bar in Republic, and tried unsuccessfully to get his money back from Pennington when the deal fell through, his wife, Constance Dicenzo, said at the preliminary hearing. He drove to Pennington’s house the next day.

After Friday’s verdict, Pennington was immediately sentenced to life in prison without parole for first-degree homicide as well as prohibited possession of a firearm. He was also sentenced on a misdemeanor charge of tampering with evidence.

Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said he was happy he could bring closure to Dicenzo’s family.

“Tony was a very beloved figure within his family and the community, and didn’t deserve what happened to him,” he said. “We’re happy that the jury was able to see through all of Mr. Pennington’s lies and come to the appropriate verdict.”

Investigators at the scene determined Dicenzo’s body had been moved from the front seat of the vehicle, which had blood stains and was covered by a blanket and trash bag. Along with the scraps of paper, they also retrieved a shell casing, according to testimony at the preliminary hearing. An autopsy found two bullets in the right side of Dicenzo’s head.

Other evidence at the scene, as well as Dicenzo’s cellphone data, also indicated the car had been moved from its original location.

Pennington claimed he had been at his Menallen Township barbershop at the time of the shooting, which was contradicted by footage from a nearby security camera showing a four-hour absence during the window of the shooting and Dicenzo’s relocation.

In a confession to police he later recanted, Pennington claimed the shooting was in self-defense. Investigators dismissed the claim, a state trooper testified during the preliminary hearing; Pennington had no defensive marks, and Dicenzo had no weapon.

The owner of Pennington’s barbershop property also testified at the preliminary hearing that rather than throwing the .380 handgun he had borrowed from the owner in Dunbar Lake, Pennington had returned it to him after the shooting with the instruction to clean any fingerprints.

Pennington’s wife also testified he had shown up in Dicenzo’s white Cadillac and asked her to follow him to the area near Riffle Hollow Road, where police later found Dicenzo’s body.

Aubele said he didn’t think the jury had much doubt.

“In order for the jury to believe a single word that he said would require them to believe multiple lies,” he said. “So I think he just completely discredited himself. He had initially confessed to the homicide and then recanted. It was very clear that all the forensic evidence pointed to one person being responsible for this crime.”

Aubele also thanked state police and other personnel for the “meticulously investigated” case.

The Fayette County public defender’s office could not be reached Friday afternoon.

Aubele said Pennington would be transported to SCI Greene in Waynesburg, and possibly taken to another state facility.