DA to seek death penalty in Craigslist slaying


January 21, 2014 at 1:06p.m.

DA to seek death penalty in Craigslist slaying

SUNBURY, Pa. (AP) — A prosecutor is seeking the death penalty for a couple charged with killing a man allegedly lured through a Craigslist ad.

Northumberland County District Attorney Anthony Rosini said today that aggravating circumstances — allegations that the victim was killed during a robbery and tortured — justify death sentences for 22-year-old Elytte Barbour and his 19-year-old wife, Miranda Barbour.

Rosini also is requesting a joint trial.

Police say Miranda Barbour lured 42-year-old Troy LaFerrara of Port Trevorton through a Craigslist ad. Investigators say she stabbed LaFerrara in the front seat of her car in Sunbury on Nov. 11 while Elytte Barbour held a cord around his neck from the back seat.

Miranda Barbour’s attorney says he wasn’t surprised by the prosecutor’s decision to seek the death penalty.