Connellsville teen pleads guilty in violent home invasion
A Connellsville teen pleaded guilty in Fayette County Court on Monday to robbing and assaulting an elderly man and his daughter.
In exchange for his guilty plea, 18-year-old Duston Wiggins will spend six to 12 years in prison, according to the offer from District Attorney Rich Bower.
Wiggins, represented by attorney William Diffenderfer, entered guilty pleas to 19 counts, including robbery, burglary, theft, simple assault, reckless endangerment, conspiracy to commit each.
Bower told Judge Steve P. Leskinen the prosecution would drop a single count of aggravated assault.
Wiggins explained that in February 2014, he and two other juveniles — Terry Nicholson, now 19 years old and another unnamed male who was 14 at the time — went to the Connellsville home of 81-year-old Caesar Gasperi and his daughter Lisa, with the intent to “just get money and leave.”
“I had been told there was a safe in the house,” he said, adding that they never intended to hurt anyone. “We went in the house and asked for the safe and got it.”
After Leskinen pointed out that it sounded as though Wiggins and the other two teens politely requested the safe, Wiggins went on to say they brandished pellet guns and demanded the safe.
Wiggins testified two of the guns were plastic and the other one was metal. None of the guns had orange tips or other markings indicating they were toys, which Wiggins admitted would have given the Gasperis the impression they were real guns.
According to Wiggins, it was the youngest boy, who has been adjudicated through the juvenile system, who carried the metal pellet gun, and it was he who struck Caesar Gasperi in the head.
Wiggins also indicated it was Nicholson who stole Lisa Gasperi’s cellphone.
Wiggins told the court he never pointed a gun at anyone.
“But you understand whether or not you did, if your co-conspirators did, you’re just as guilty as they are under the eyes of the law?” Leskinen asked.
Wiggins said he understood.
Bower noted that in addition to the two lacerations Caesar Gasperi suffered on his head and the serious bruising on his arms, Lisa Gasperi was hospitalized for four days for the psychological or emotional trauma she suffered.
He also told the court the Gasperis were in agreement with the terms of the plea offer.
Nicholson pleaded guilty to his role in the home invasion in December, and is scheduled for sentencing on Thursday.
According to the terms of his plea agreement, he will be sentenced to 4 ½ to 9 years.
Wiggins will appear before Leskinen on March 15 at 2:30 for sentencing.