Westmoreland County Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio on Friday ruled that Melissa Fox-Beacom is competent to stand trial for the murder of her mother in December, and scheduled a pre-trial conference for April 29th.
The 50-year-old Fox-Beacom is charged with criminal homicide, first degree murder, solicitation to commit murder, three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, and abuse of a corpse. She’s accused of arranging the shooting death of 71-year-old Alice Robson at Robson’s home along Furnace Lane outside of New Florence. Investigators said she asked Matthew Bates of Ligonier Township and Robert Jack of Washington, PA to shoot her mother, and the two carried out the request, burying Robson’s body underneath her back porch.
The shooting was related to a child custody dispute involving Fox-Beacom’s son. Bates and Jack both accuse the other of shooting Robson. They face the same charges as Fox-Beacom and all are being held without bond at the Westmoreland County Prison.
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