Man pleads guilty to killing father-in-law

MEADVILLE, Pa. (AP) -- A man pleaded guilty to beating his father-in-law to death with a 4-pound sledgehammer.
Donald C. Delancey Jr., 34, of Meadville, pleaded guilty Friday to third-degree murder in the May 27, 2005, death of Francis Mercier, 66, in the garage of Mercier's East Mead Township home.
An autopsy indicated that Mercier had sustained at least four skull fractures.
Delancey initially told investigators that he accidentally hit Mercier in the head when he was trying to kill a bat that had flown into the garage. Police said he later admitted to hitting his father-in-law during an argument.
On Friday, Delancey told a judge that he did not remember hitting Mercier with the sledgehammer.
"I remember having an altercation and punching him," Delancey said. "I can't remember hitting him at all."
Delancey said he recalled seeing Mercier lying on the garage floor and said there was "no doubt" that he was the person who struck Mercier. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 5.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.