Sep 1, 2016 By For The Greene County Messenger 3 min read

The state Superior Court upheld the conviction of a Washington County man serving a life sentence for first-degree murder in the shooting death of his neighbor and friend.

Jason William Roe, 36, of Daisytown was convicted of fatally shooting Cordele Patterson, 38, after luring Patterson to a hunting cabin near Spraggs in Wayne Township, Greene County on Aug. 14, 2012.

Earlier this week, the appeals court found that there was ample evidence to convict Roe, and upheld the life sentence imposed by a Greene County judge.

In his appeal, Roe contended that prosecutors did not disprove his claim that he shot Patterson in self defense and that the judge who presided over his trial should not have allowed graphic autopsy photos as evidence.

Roe claimed he shot Patterson because he believed Patterson was going to shoot his wife, Lana Roe, 44. She was also convicted of first-degree murder in Patterson’s death, after prosecutors successfully argued that she lured Patterson to the cabin so her husband could kill him.

Jason Roe’s appeal notes that his wife also contended that she believed Patterson was going to shoot her.

In discounting the issue, the Superior Court opinion noted that the Roes stopped for a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition on the way to meet Patterson at the cabin, and test fired the gun before they arrived. After the shooting, they fled out of state, the opinion stated.

The filing also noted that testimony showed that after Lana Roe lured Patterson out of the cabin, he ran back inside. Jason Roe followed him, and shot him there, the opinion noted.

Patterson did not have a handgun, according to court papers.

“(T)he commonwealth provided substantial evidence for the jury to conclude that (Jason Roe) planned the shooting prior to his arrival at the cabin,” the opinion stated.

The Superior Court also found that there was no record that prosecutors introduced autopsy photos that the judge had excluded “at any time during trial,” and noted that there was no objection made to any of the other photos that were introduced.

At trial, prosecutors contended that Lana Roe accused Patterson of burglarizing the Roes’ home days before the murder. The false report was made on the night Jason Roe moved back into the home, following a brief separation during which Lana Roe said she was trying to split from her abusive husband for good, according to testimony.

Police contended the Roes drove out to the cabin with Jason Roe seething because he believed Patterson had robbed him.

The couple was tried together in 2013; however, jurors only convicted Jason Roe at the time. The panel deadlocked as to whether Lana Roe was culpable in the shooting. Prosecutors tried Lana Roe in 2014. After her conviction, she was sentenced to life in prison.