GEORGE JUNIOR REPUBLIC Teenager pleads guilty to murdering counselor

The teen faces mandatory life imprisonment without parole.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
MERCER, Pa. -- Jeremy Melvin said he came up with the plan to escape from George Junior Republic, a juvenile detention and education facility, that led to the death of a night security counselor at the institution.
Melvin, 17, of McKeesport, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Tuesday in the Nov. 10, 2003, slaying of Wayne Urey, 43, of Mercer. The plea came just as jury selection was about to resume in his murder trial.
Timothy Bonner, the assistant Mercer County district attorney prosecuting the case, said Melvin told the court that he hatched the escape plot and enlisted only Anthony Machicote, 17, of North Versailles, Pa., in the plan.
Machicote faces his own murder trial in the case in November.
Melvin faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
Melvin said they didn't intend to kill Urey but wanted to steal the keys to his pickup truck, Bonner said, adding that Melvin outlined the plot. Melvin said that Machicote feigned illness to get Urey to his room and that he (Melvin) grabbed Urey from behind in a choke hold.
Asking for release
Melvin said Urey offered to give them anything they wanted if they released him, but they refused, saying they had to tie him up because he would sound an alarm if freed, Bonner said.
Melvin said they left Urey bound and gagged and stuffed two socks in his mouth to keep him quiet, adding that they stole a small amount of cash from Urey's wallet and took his truck, according to Bonner.
Authorities said the pair drove to Pittsburgh and surrendered later in the day after learning Urey was dead.
An autopsy showed he died of asphyxiation consistent with suffocation and strangulation and suffered broken bones in his neck, multiple rib fractures and injuries to his head, trunk and extremities.
Second-degree murder, referred to as felony murder, is the death of a person, whether intentional or unintentional, during the commission of a felony.
In Melvin's case, the felony committed was robbery, Bonner said.
Commutation of sentence
In exchange for the guilty plea, District Attorney James Epstein agreed not to oppose a bid Melvin might make to the state for commutation of his sentence, as long as that bid doesn't occur for at least 25 years.
That doesn't mean that whoever is district attorney at that time or a member of Urey's family or any other interested party might not oppose commutation, Bonner said.
Judge Thomas Dobson, who was to preside at the trial, advised Melvin that he should expect to spend the balance of his life in prison, Bonner said.
gwin@vindy.com