Death warrant signed in Greene County child murder
The notice of execution was signed Wednesday for a Fayette County man convicted of raping and killing a 12-year-old girl in Greene County in 2006.
Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel signed notices of execution for three inmates, including Jeffrey Martin, 57, formerly of New Geneva.
Martin was convicted of strangling 12-year-old Gabrielle Bechen in a remote area of Dunkard Township, Greene County. She had been riding an all-terrain vehicle on a farm near her home when she encountered Martin, who was a hired hand on the farm.
After Bechen was killed, Martin covered both the girl and the ATV with lime in a makeshift grave.
Martin’s execution is scheduled for March 16. It is one of three executions set for March, despite the fact that Gov. Tom Wolf last year declared a moratorium on carrying out death sentences.
According to the Department of Corrections news release, if the governor does not sign a warrant of execution within the specified time period, the law allows the secretary of corrections to take that action within 30 days.
In September 2014 the state Supreme Court, which automatically reviews all death sentence cases, upheld Martin’s conviction and sentencing. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Martin’s request for an appeal.
Martin’s case was then appealed in federal court, but that appeal was stayed so Martin could file an appeal under the Post Conviction Relief Act in Greene County.
That petition was filed January 19, a little more than a week before the death warrant was signed.
Also slated for execution are Thomas Meadows of Montgomery County on March 15, and Christopher Johnson of Adams County, March 18.