MEADVILLE, Pa. (WJET/WFXP)– Guilty on all charges, that’s the verdict in the trial of Shawn Cranston, the man accused of murdering a pregnant Amish woman last year in Sparta Township.

It took the jury less than three hours to find Shawn Cranston guilty on all charges in the murder of Rebekah Byler and her unborn child.

However, what’s interesting in this case are the murder weapons. The knife and gun used to kill Rebekah were never found.

Now, 16 months after Rebekah Byler was murdered in her Spartanburg home, justice was served.

A Crawford County jury found 53-year-old Cranston guilty of criminal homicide in the first degree, criminal homicide of an unborn child in the second degree, burglary in the first degree and criminal trespass in the first degree.

The prosecution put 24 witnesses on the stand, including Rebekah’s husband, who found her body two hours after the murder, his driver, who made the 911 call, dozens of forensic experts and a prison inmate who claimed Cranston admitted to killing the 23-year-old pregnant Amish woman during a burglary.  

The inmate told the jury that when Rebekah saw Cranston in her living room, she started screaming. So Cranston told him he, “Spun her around and started choking her.  She didn’t pass out, so he slit her throat.  He said she didn’t die quick enough, so he shot her.”

The knife and gun used to kill Rebekah were never found. 

However, the prosecution presented a knife they believed was used in the murder. 

It was found alongside a country road, about three months after the murder.

Because it was in the elements, detectives said they weren’t able to pull any fingerprints or DNA. 

Cranston’s attorney did not present any witnesses, but during closing arguments said that because the murder scene was so horrific, if Cranston killed Rebekah, her blood and DNA would’ve been found on his clothes, shoes, and in his car.

Following the verdict, Attorney General Dave Sunday released a statement.

“It is hard to fathom conduct more heinous than brutally killing a young expectant mother and her unborn child in her home,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Our homes are supposed to be our safe haven — this defendant violated the sanctity of home to commit these truly evil acts.”

Sunday also added that, “I commend our team and the Pennsylvania State Police for dealing with this truly horrific case and focusing on the facts, which clearly pointed to Shawn Cranston’s guilt.”

Cranston is set to be sentenced on July 28 at 9:15 a.m. He’s facing life in prison. 

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