Former Monessen man resentenced to life in prison for 1973 murders

A judge denied John Veltre’s request for release Friday in a Westmoreland County courtroom.

By RICH CHOLODOFSKY
TribLive

John Veltre

Susan Worlton only knew her sisters from her mother’s stories and the few pictures that remain.

In a courtroom on Friday, Worlton told a Westmoreland County judge how the violent murder of her sisters five decades earlier has impacted her family.

She and her mother were among the witnesses at the hearing for John Veltre, 69, who has been in jail for the last 52 years following his conviction for the rape of Worlton’s mother and murder of her two sisters — 2-year-old Sandra Dee Morgan and her three-month old sister Tina — on Feb. 14, 1973. The former Monessen man pleaded guilty in 1973 and was later convicted again following a trial in 1978 that resulted in his being sentenced to life in prison without parole for murder and an additional 7 to 14 years behind bars for rape.

Police said Veltre violently raped and brutally beat the young mother in Monessen in 1973. As she lay unconscious, Veltre went upstairs to the older child’s bedroom, picked her up by her ankles and repeatedly slammed her against a wall, then stomped her to death before he went into a second bedroom, took the baby from her crib and threw her across a room, causing her death before he jumped out of a window to flee the scene.

Worlton, 48, spoke as her now 76-year-old mother sat beside the witness stand during the hearing, which was held in response to Veltre’s request for a new sentence that could allow him to be paroled.

“I’ve lived my life watching my mom only be scared and thinking that if he does get out (of prison) that he’d do what he said he would do,” Worlton said.

Worlton read her mother’s written statement in which she told the judge what she remembered from the attack. “I opened the door and he immediately started beating and raped me. I thought I was dead when he went upstairs and killed my babies. They were not a threat to him. He took away my future,” she wrote. “Please resentence John Veltre to prison. Knowing he is in prison is my only security. If he is released I will never leave my home again. I’ll never sleep again.”

Prosecutors said Veltre was just one month shy of his 17th birthday at the time of the crimes. State and federal courts in the last decade have said life without parole sentences for juveniles must be reevaluated.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Stewart II rejected the defense’s request for Veltre’s release after hearing evidence of his poor childhood upbringing and violent and criminal history as a teen.

The defense also claimed Veltre was both the victim and perpetrator of sexual crimes and misconduct during his half-century behind bars and that he has suffered from multiple mental health issues.

Stewart imposed the same sentence Veltre received following his 1978 trial: two concurrent life prison sentences for the killings and a consecutive 7 to 14 years behind bars for the rape of the children’s mother.

“This crime is so heinous, so incomprehensible that it cannot simply be overlooked,” Stewart said. “I have to protect (the victim) but also the public as well. There would be a very substantial risk to the public if Mr. Veltre is ever to be released.”

Jennifer Wynn, a mitigation expert hired by the defense, testified Veltre has struggled with intellectual disabilities throughout his life. His parents and siblings also suffered with intellectual deficits. She said Veltre had difficulties in school and remained in the third grade until the age of 14.

As a teen, she said Veltre had repeated brushes with the law and was exposed to alcohol at an early age.

Veltre, she said, claimed he was drunk and homeless after having left a foster home and attempted to make contact with two other women at a housing complex in Monessen just before he forced his way into the victim’s home. Wynn said years later Veltre claimed he was also under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug and believed he was fighting off space aliens when he killed the children.

Wynn testified that later in life, starting in 2007, Veltre started to modify his behavior after being assigned to a special housing unit for mentally disabled inmates.

“He doesn’t fight anymore. He doesn’t mouth off at officers any more. There is irrefutable evidence of his accomplishments and growth in prison,” Wynn testified.

Psychologist Dr. Bruce Chambers, another defense witness, said Veltre would require supervision if released from prison to ensure he conforms to societal norms and continues to take prescribed medication for schizophrenia and other mental health issues.

“John’s risk of recommitting crimes is low. He feels remorse and feels badly about (his crimes),” Chambers testified.

Prosecutors, however, said Veltre continued to profess his innocence until at least 2004, when he filed court motions seeking DNA evidence that he claimed would exonerate him in the rape and murders.

Dr. Bruce Wright, hired by prosecutors, said Veltre continues to pose a danger to the community.

“There seems to be an effort to reduce his culpability. The defendant is definitely not rehabilitated,” Wright testified.

Veltre, approaching age 70 and suffering from a persistent facial tic, told the judge he has matured and no longer has urges to fight and misbehave. He said he only has vague memories of his crimes but blamed his use of alcohol and drugs for his actions.

Defense attorney Mark Shire asked Veltre what he remembers from the night of the murders.

“I thought I was fighting aliens but I was really killing two kids instead,” Veltre testified.

He told the judge he now spends his days mostly alone as he listens to radio and watches television and works a maintenance job in prison. He said he does not associate much with his fellow inmates and wants to be released to a mental health facility where he can “play games all day.”

Veltre also addressed his victim and her two surviving daughters.

“I am sorry. I think about the crimes every day. I cannot get it out of my mind,” Veltre said.

His victim, who has since moved out of state, also thinks about the crimes every day, according to her daughters.

“She talks about them with joy, about her babies, all the time. She’s happy today,” said daughter Beth Morgan.