Trial Begins in 2008 Murder of Ligonier Businessman
Posted By
on Oct 12, 2010 11:05am PDT
The trial has begun for a man accused of killing a Ligonier businessman and then setting his house on fire in 2008.
Anthony Mowry walked into the Westmoreland County Courthouse with a smile on his face Tuesday morning. He waved to his family and said "Good morning."
Mowry is charged with the first-degree murder of Ligonier businessman Mike Jones.
The alleged murder happened in September of 2008.
District Attorney John Peck said that Mowry beat and stabbed Jones to death with a meat cleaver and chimes from a grandfather clock, among other items.
He then allegedly set the house on fire to destroy the evidence.
In opening statements, Mowry's attorney told jurors that this case actually began many years prior to the incident when Jones allegedly sexually assaulted Mowry as a teenager.
His attorney said that Mowry did not intend to cause Jones' death while in a fit of rage.
Mowry was AWOL from the Army at the time of the incident.
The trial is expected to last for at least two weeks.