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Judge rejects defense request to step aside in teen's appeal

Judge rejects defense request to step aside in teen's appeal
6 years 2 weeks 1 day ago Monday, June 03 2019 Jun 3, 2019 June 03, 2019 4:06 PM June 03, 2019 in News - AP Texas Headlines

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - An eastern Pennsylvania judge has rejected a defense motion that she step aside from hearing the appeal of a teenager convicted in the murder of her mother four years ago.

The (Allentown) Morning Call reports that Lehigh County Judge Maria Dantos said there was no merit to defense accusations that she improperly inserted herself into guilty plea negotiations involving Jamie Silvonek.

Silvonek, now 18, seeks a new trial in the 2015 slaying of 54-year-old Cheryl Silvonek, when the teen was 14. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 35 years to life.

Caleb Barnes of El Paso, Texas, a Fort Meade, Maryland soldier, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole. Silvonek testified that she plotted the murder and urged Barnes in texts to carry it out.

Information from: The Morning Call, http://www.mcall.com

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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