Pa. Jury Spares Execution In Ohio Student Slayings

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Last Thursday, a Pennsylvania jury spared Terrell Yarbrough the death penalty in the 1999 slaying of Aaron Land, of Philadelphia, and Brian Muha, of Westerville.

Yarbrough now faces life in prison for killing the Franciscan University students.

The deaths occurred hours after a home invasion in Steubenville, Ohio. The men later took both Land and Muha and shot and killed them, leaving their bodies on a Pennsylvania hill side.

Brian Muha’s mother, Rachel Muha, spoke to NBC 4 about the sentencing.

“That is what we wanted. The state of Pennsylvania had the obligation to pursue the death penalty because it’s in their law, but we didn’t want it. We didn’t think Brian would want it,“ she said.

Muha said she forgives her sons’ killers and hopes they will change for the good while spending the rest of their lives in prison.

The second suspect charged in this murder is Nathan Herring. Herring was to face the court sometime next year.

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