Jennifer Daugherty, 30, was dropped off at a Mount Pleasant, PA, bus station on Monday by her stepfather, Robert “Bobby” Murphy. That was the last time a member of her family would see her alive. She was traveling to Greensburg, PA, a suburb about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, where her body was eventually found on Thursday morning in a plastic trash bin at a local middle school.
According to police reports, Daugherty’s head had been shaved, and her face painted with nail polish. She was bound with Christmas decorations and clothing, and had been beaten with several items–according to the affidavit, a crutch, a vacuum cleaner hose and a towel rack. She was also forced to ingest vegetable oil, spices, urine, detergent and a concoction of medications. Further, she was also forced to write a suicide note, stabbed repeatedly, wrapped in plastic and finally thrown into the trash can.
Arrests for criminal homicide, kidnapping and related chargers were handed out to six–yes, SIX–Pennsylvania residents between the ages of 17 and 36. 17? Really? In total, three men and three women. Robert Loren Masters, Jr., 36, Ricky Smyrnes, 23, Melvin Knight, 20, Peggy Darlene Miller, 27, Amber Meidinger and 17-year-old Amber Marinucci.
Perhaps the most disturbing detail of Jennifer Daugherty’s death emerged today, when her stepfather made a statement that his stepdaughter was “mentally challenged,” possessing the mental capacity of a 12-14-year-old. She had also mentioned several of the suspects names in recent conversation, referring to them as friends.
If I may be allowed to speculate. I know social media is coming into play on this one, and another round of debate on the topic will ensue. I also know that neighbors living underneath the “incident” heard what they believed to be uncharacteristic activity upstairs, including a loud “thud” of a body hitting the floor hard enough to shake ceiling light fixtures. There’s a fine line between respecting privacy and social responsibility, where does one end and the other begin?
(Image via: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
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