Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Steven Rebert will spend the rest of his life in prison instead of being put to death for killing Wayne and Vicky Shugar in their Brockway home in April of 2010. A jury deliberated until about 9 o’clock Friday night and could not come up with a unanimous decision, which is necessary for the death penalty to be imposed. Eight jurors voted for the death sentence; four voted against it. The 46-year-old Emporium man is still a person of interest in the murders of Kevin Smith and Bill Fickel in Western New York. Rebert, at one time, lived near the men. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A jury will start deliberating this afternoon on whether Steven Rebert should get the death penalty or life in prison. On Thursday the jury heard from the 46-year-old Emporium man’s family about his normal childhood. They also heard from the family of Wayne and Vicky Shugar, who Rebert shot to death in their Brockway home in April of 2010. Rebert is also a "person of interest" in two separate, unsolved murders in Western New York. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A trial date is expected to be set in January for the Emporium man accused of fatally shooting a Brockway couple in April. 45-year-old Steven Rebert is scheduled to be in court on January 5. He is accused of killing Wayne and Vicky Shugar while burglarizing their home. Back in September, Jefferson County District Attorney Jeffery Burkett announced he will seek the death penalty in the case. Rebert is also a person of interest in the unsolved murders of Bill Fickel of Genesee County, New York, and Kevin Smith of Orleans County.

The preliminary hearing for the Emporium man charged with the murders of Wayne and Vicky Shugar of Brockway has been continued. 45-year-old Steven Rebert was scheduled to be in district court today. He was arrested in New York State on June 12 on unrelated charges, then turned over to Pennsylvania State Police, who charged him with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and burglary. He’s in Jefferson County Jail without bail. The Shugars were found shot to death in the basement of their home on April 12. Rebert is also a person of interest in the unsolved murders of Bill Fickel of Genesee County, New York, and Kevin Smith of Orleans County.

New York State Police are waiting for DNA test results on a cigarette butt to come back to see if they can connect Steven Rebert to murders in Genesee and Orleans counties. Rebert, who had lived in Emporium, is already charged with the April murders of Wayne and Vicky Shugar of Brockway. Pennsylvania police contacted New York police when, during their investigation, they found that Rebert had done Google searches on the unsolved murders of Bill Fickel and Kevin Smith. When reviewing their files, New York police saw that a cigarette butt had been found at one of the crime scenes and they were able to get a DNA sample from it. They say it could take a couple of months to get the test results back. Rebert is scheduled to be in district court Monday for the Shugar murders.