Pennsylvania Supreme Court denies appeal in Nazareth murder

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Pennsylvania's highest court has refused to hear the appeal of a man convicted of killing his friend in June 2009 in Nazareth.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday said it would not consider the appeal of Mark Williams, who was convicted of first-degree murder in March 2010 for killing Patrick O'Brien. Williams is serving a life sentence without parole.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, who prosecuted the case, said he wasn't surprised by the court's decision.

"We expected that it would be denied," Morganelli said. "I saw no reason the court would grant the petition."

Williams' attorney, Robert Patterson, said he thought there was a viable issue when he appealed to the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Patterson said he had an issue with the cause of death. He felt the expert that testified during the trial couldn't exactly pinpoint whether the cause of death was asphyxiation or strangulation.

Patterson said the difference was whether Williams intended to kill O'Brien or accidentally killed him by pushing his face in wet mulch.

The Superior Court did not agree and Williams' guilty verdict was affirmed in April. Patterson in May asked the state Supreme Court to hear the case, records say.

During Williams' trial, Morganelli argued the killing was the result of a decade old feud over a woman. Morganelli said Williams never forgave O'Brien and the bad blood came to a boil when the men found themselves drinking together in June at the American Hotel bar. Williams beat and strangled O'Brien in front of the O'Brien house in the 100 block of North Main Street.

O'Brien's body was found by his parents. It was the borough's first murder in 30 years.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/nazareth/index.ssf/2011/09/pennsylvania_supreme_court_den.html