Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A jury has found a man guilty of manslaughter for beating and strangling an elderly Fredonia woman to death four years ago. Jason Wells, also of Fredonia, had been charged with second-degree murder as well as manslaughter. The case defense attorney Lyle Hajdu presented was intended to bring into question Wells’ mental state when he killed 81-year-old Ruth Fisk in her apartment. District Attorney David Foley says Hajdu’s strategy obviously worked because the jury had a hard time making its decision. Hajdu has two weeks to enter motions before the judge sets a sentencing date. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The four suspects in Wednesday’s double homicide in Carroll, New York, are scheduled to be in court next week, and one of them will be represented by a Bradford native. 34-year-old Davide Coggins, along with 21-year-old Joshua McCormick, 18-year-old Steven Todd and 18-year-old Ricky Knickerbocker of Elmira, were arrested in Elmira Thursday morning after a manhunt. They are charged with two counts each of second-degree murder in connection to the deaths of 66-year-old Gordon Skinner and his wife, 59-year-old Joyce Skinner, who were found by firefighters inside their burning home. All four suspects will be back in Carroll Court Thursday morning for preliminary hearings with their court-appointed attorneys. Bradford native Lyle Hajdu will be representing Steven Todd. During a news conference on Thursday, Sheriff Joe Gerace said law enforcement is certain this was a home invasion that ended up in the deaths of the victims. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947