Posted on 11/25/2025 1:16:54 PM PST by nickcarraway
Prosecutors announced they will be seeking the death penalty for a Pennsylvania man accused of raping and killing his 2-year-old son in August.
The McKean County District Attorney’s Office announced the filing on Monday against 33-year-old Tyler Prescott of Bradford, citing four reasons that support the commonwealth’s first execution this century.
That sentence, however, would hinge on Prescott being convicted of first-degree murder, which is the only crime that can be punished by death according to PA law, but also comes with an alternative sentence of life in prison.
McKean County DA Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer said the Commonwealth will list the following factors from the statute that it will submit for sentencing upon a conviction for murder 1st in the case:
-The victim was a child under 12 years of age
-The killing occurred while the defendant was in the perpetration of a felony
-The death was committed by means of torture
-The killing occurred while the defendant was committing a felony under the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act.
Prescott was originally charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of endangering the welfare of a child for injuries inflicted on his 2-year-old son between July 17 and August 14.
The child was pronounced dead on Thursday, August 14, after being transported to the Bradford Regional Medical Center.
Prescott was later charged with criminal homicide, rape of a child, rape of a child resulting in bodily injury, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a child resulting in serious bodily injury, aggravated indecent assault of a child, indecent assault and incest of a minor.
Court records show he’s set to appear in court again on December 10.
The last person to be executed in Pennsylvania was Gary Heidnik in 1999 for raping and murdering two women in Philadelphia.
Earnest T. Bass...............
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