The appeal of convicted murderer Arthur Whitfield is making its way through the State Superior Court, which has received the paperwork from Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani and scheduled its next action for January 16th.
The 55-year-old Whitfield last lived in Josephine in Indiana County. He broke into the Derry Borough home of his former girlfriend, 36-year-old Holly George, on December 1st 2013 and shot her eight times as she watched TV with her daughter. George died about three weeks later.
Whitfield had to undergo extensive mental health treatment and evaluations before his case ever moved forward. He pleaded guilty to second degree murder, burglary, and firearms offenses in June of 2016, saying he wanted to spare George’s family the ordeal of a trial. But earlier this year, he filed a motion for post conviction relief, claiming he had been coerced by his public defenders to plead guilty. Judge Feliciani denied that appeal in October, saying that Whitfield’s apology to the George family showed that he knew what he was doing when he pleaded guilty.
Judge Feliciani also ruled that Whitfield has exhausted his right to representation at the public’s expense, and last week he informed Superior Court that his October denial of Whitfield’s appeal will constitute his required statement to the higher court.
