HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a Crawford County man will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing a pregnant woman, and her unborn child, last year in her Sparta Township home.
Shawn Cranston, 53, of Corry, was recently convicted by a jury of first-degree murder and second-degree murder of an unborn child, and related charges.
On Monday, a Crawford County Judge sentenced Cranston to the mandatory life-without-parole sentence for the first-degree murder conviction — plus an additional life in prison sentence.
According to trial testimony, Cranston targeted Rebekah Byler’s home for a burglary on Feb. 26, 2024, then, after encountering her in the home, stabbed and shot her to death.
“This defendant committed a truly evil act, and is now held fully accountable as he will spend the rest of his life behind bars without an opportunity to ever again harm another person in free society,” Attorney General Sunday said. “I commend the dedicated investigators and prosecutors for their work, and the jury that reached an appropriate verdict. My thoughts are with the victim’s family, whose quiet strength throughout the process has been inspiring.”
Byler is remembered as a woman who lived for her children and had a passion for cleaning. Relatives attended Monday’s sentencing hearing, but did not speak.
During the four-day trial, the Office of Attorney General presented testimony that Cranston sliced Byler’s throat with a knife and shot her.
Evidence presented at trial included a piece of a glove containing Cranston’s DNA; shoe prints and vehicle tire treads that matched Cranston’s shoes and vehicle; and GPS data from Cranston’s vehicle that placed Cranston at the Byler residence.
The case was referred to the Office of Attorney General by the Crawford County District Attorney’s Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Evan Lowry and Deputy Attorney General Kevin Scheibel.
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