The woman from Abington Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, who was accused of dismembering and killing her parents in the family home, will not be sentenced to death by the prosecution, but she could spend the rest of her days in prison.
Verity Beck, 49, who is in the county correctional facility, was reportedly charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of her parents, Reid and Miriam Beck, aged 73 and 72, respectively.
The announcement came during an arraignment hearing against Beck, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first and third degree murder, abuse of corpses and possession of the instruments of crime: a firearm and a chainsaw. His trial is scheduled for February and he will remain in prison without bail.
A motive for the killings has not been revealed. James P. Lyons, Beck’s public defender, maintained that “we intend to vigorously defend this case.”
Samantha Cauffman, Montgomery County’s assistant district attorney, told the judge that her office would not seek the death penalty because “the requisite legal factors are not present in this case.”
