Plea hearing delayed again for suspect in Pa. teen’s rape, death

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man who admitted to the rape, murder and dismemberment of a 14-year-old girl has been taken to a hospital for high blood pressure, and his plea hearing was interrupted again.

Jacob Sullivan was in the courthouse today when he complained of a headache. Medical personnel rushed him to the hospital after finding his blood pressure was high.

Prosecutors say Sullivan raped and killed Grace Packer in a plot with her adoptive mother. Sara Packer’s lawyer says she intends to plead guilty in the case.

Sullivan first entered a guilty plea Tuesday, but was hospitalized several hours into the proceeding with high blood pressure. A winter storm closed the courthouse Wednesday.

A judge must accept Sullivan’s plea for it to become official. Prosecutors are seeking a death sentence.