CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The case of a 2013 quadruple homicide has reached a conclusion in Harrison County Circuit Court with a Fairmont man sentenced to life in prison with a chance at parole after 25 years served.
Pleas offered by 29-year-old Sidney Arthur Muller related to two counts of first degree murder and two counts of second degree murder were accepted Monday morning.
In July 2013, a gun was pulled on Muller when he went to collect a drug debt from Todd Amos and Christopher Hart over a drug debt in a home along Locust Ave. in Clarksburg. The Marine Corps veteran took the gun away and shot the two men dead, according to investigators.
Muller then shot Fred and Freddy Swiger –a father and son newspaper delivery team on their normal route– as he fled the scene.
He was tracked down and arrested the same day.
Judge Thomas Bedell described it as “the most difficult case…in more than 20 years on the bench” before making his ruling.
The judge had previously delayed the decision after the pleas were initially offered as part of a plea deal between the state and Muller back in August.
Assistant Prosecutor Susan Morris offered a defense for the deal –which had received some criticism from the public due to the chance at parole– saying it was the best shot at assuring Muller served time in prison.
Both sides faces a risk in going to trial, Morris said, due to the opinions of potential jurors ranging from Muller “should be buried under the jail,” to those who sympathies with military members.
Also, after analyzing the history of juries in Harrison County, the sentence laid out in the plea deal is not atypical when a chance at parole is not suggested. Whereas when parole is suggested, juries do not typically offer the opportunity.
“The state will take the risk of the parole board,” Morris said.
The defense attorneys stated they concurred “almost entirely” with what the state said, while Muller said nothing when given the opportunity and the families of the victims said nothing but did file Victim Impact Statements with the court.
After the pleas were accepted, the hearing transitioned to sentencing.
Judge Bedell’s ruling fell in line with what was laid out in the plea agreement.
The first degree murder charges –related to the deaths of the Swigers– carried life sentences to be served concurrently, the second degree murder charges –related to the deaths of Amos and Hart– carried sentences of 25 years each served concurrently and the life sentences would be served after the 25 years sentences.
Muller has the chance of parole after discharging the first 25 years –with credit for time served– before the life sentences begin, which would be sometime in 2028.
“I admit the plea agreement isn’t perfect,” Judge Bedell said while looking toward the families of the victims, but he agreed that “it’s not an unlikely result” should the case have gone to trail.
He concluded the proceeding by saying the day was not about Muller, but about Amos, Hart and the Swigers.
While their deaths would stay with their families, he hoped the results of Monday’s sentencing would bring some sort of closure to them.