Pennsylvania man sentenced to 20 years in plea deal after murdering mother and taking photos with corpse
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A Pennsylvania man who murdered his mother and took pictures with her body has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after receiving a plea deal that much of the family opposed.
David Sumney, 33, has been accused of torturing his mother Margaret, 67, and murdering her in her home in 2019.
He had documented the crime by taking 277 photos, including several selfies of blood smeared on his face and his mother’s body.
Sumney was granted a plea deal in August that dismissed charges of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, leaving him with a single count of third-degree murder.
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David Sumney, 33, has been accused of torturing his mother Margaret, 67, and murdering her in her home in 2019.
(Allegheny County Police Department)
Since he has been behind bars since 2019, he could be released in just 17 years.
« I can’t believe I would let myself get into such a state where I could do something so bad, so horrible. I can’t believe what I did, that I killed my own mother, » Sumney said during his hearing Thursday in Allegheny County. To research. « I can’t stop thinking about it. I think about it every day. I’m sorry, but sorry isn’t enough. I handled things as badly as a person could have. »
« To my family, my sisters and my aunts, I know it’s impossible to forgive me. I don’t forgive myself. I just want to let them know that I’m so sorry, » he continued.
Sumney’s defense asked for a seven-year sentence because he « expressed remorse » and attributed his crime to his drug and alcohol use.
Margaret’s family, meanwhile, lobbied for a harsher sentence than he ultimately received.
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A Pennsylvania man who murdered his mother and took pictures with her body has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after receiving a plea deal that much of the family opposed.
(Allegheny County Police Department)
His older sister, Mary Ellen, called Sumney « less than trash » and said she wanted him « to receive the death penalty ». Margaret’s other sister, Ann Shade, urged the court ‘not to give her a second chance’.
Sumney would have faced life behind bars had he been convicted on his original charges.
His cousin, Margo, explained that she would never forget the « metallic smell » when she walked into the blood-soaked house in 2019.
« He is the embodiment of pure evil, » she said. « We will never find peace with all of this. »
The defense called two Allegheny prison employees to the stand, one of whom described Sumney as a model prisoner who engages in Bible studies with other inmates. A doctor was also called to the stand, saying Sumney had reduced mental capacity at the time of the murder due to « extremely high doses » of Adderall.
Sumney had documented the crime by taking 277 photos, including several selfies of blood smeared on his face and his mother’s body.
(Allegheny County Police Department)
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After the murder, Sumney reportedly searched online for how to dispose of his mother’s body. Among his research was « how long does it take before a body begins to decompose? » and « how long do you wait to get rid of a body? »
The judge sentenced Sumney to a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years.
« You broke her back, » Ellen told the court. « You crippled our mother. And then you just beat and beat her. Blood splattered along the walls. But I think the sickest part is the photos. The 277 photos. You don’t take pictures only if you want to go back and see what you did. »
Sumney is also facing another criminal case in Atlantic City, where his ex-girlfriend accuses him of waterboarding and strangling her in a hotel room in July 2019.
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