A Philly man, paralyzed by a teen he kidnapped and threatened to kill, was sentenced to decades in prison
Pavel Belous would have made good on his promise to kill Jarred Peglow, prosecutors said, had the teen not defended himself with a folding knife.
A Northeast Philadelphia man was sentenced Wednesday to decades in state prison for stalking, robbing, and threatening to kill a Bucks County teen last year.
Pavel Belous, 39, followed then-18-year-old Jarred Peglow, for 40 minutes before approaching him in the parking lot of a McDonald’s in Upper Southampton and forcing him at knifepoint to drive to an ATM and withdraw hundreds of dollars. Along the way, prosecutors said, Belous threatened to kill Peglow and rape and kill his mother and set the family’s house on fire. But the teen was eventually able to break free of his attacker and stabbed him with a folding knife, paralyzing him.
Now, Belous has been sentenced to spend 40 to 80 years in state prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder, robbery, and kidnapping in the March 2021 incident.
Bucks County Judge Wallace H. Bateman, in handing down the sentence, called Belous’ actions “a cold, calculated plan to rob and kill someone.” He said he found the case “particularly troubling and horrifying.”
“The impact on the victim is immeasurable,” Bateman said. “You have destroyed the emotional well-being of this young man.”
In a tearful address in court, Peglow, now 20, said his sense of safety was shattered by the frightening events of that day. His grades slipped, and he’s undergone therapy to help wrestle with the flood of anxiety he feels daily.
“Every time I leave home, I think about this. I’m looking for him,” Peglow said. “This is the end of the court stuff for me, but I don’t see this going away anytime soon.”
His mother, Felicia, told Bateman the entire family was still reeling from the ordeal.
“You work as a parent to give your child a good life and prevent something like this from happening,” Felicia Peglow said. “I never want anyone else to go through this again.
“I don’t know if this feeling will ever go away,” she said. “I just know we’d feel a lot safer with him off the street, with him unable to do this to anyone else.”
During the hearing, Belous turned to apologize to Jarred Peglow — mistakenly addressing him as Jeremy — and said he had “messed up a lot” by threatening to harm him and his family.
“I hope you’ll forgive me. This will never happen again,” Belous said. “I just want a second chance. I want to move on with my life, just like they do.”
But Deputy District Attorney Thomas Gannon said Belous wasn’t sorry for his actions — he was simply “sorry that he got caught.”
Belous had every intention to kill Peglow and his mother, said Gannon, who asked the judge to impose a long prison sentence.
“There is no way to keep the community safe, other than incarceration,” he said.
On the night of the attack, police said, Peglow was sitting in his car and eating fast food when Belous, wearing a mask, burst into the vehicle, held a knife to his throat, and demanded money, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Belous’ arrest. Peglow had $20 and handed it over, then Belous forced him to drive to a nearby Wawa and withdraw $450 from an ATM, according to the document.
During the ride, the affidavit said, Belous removed his mask and told Peglow he would be forced to kill him because Peglow had seen his face. He then told Peglow to drive him to his home so he could rob his family.
When they arrived, Peglow’s mother was standing outside, and Belous told the teen he was going to rape and kill her, and then burn down the house, the affidavit said. After Peglow and Belous got out of the car, Peglow asked if he could turn off the engine. When he returned to the car, he grabbed a folding knife from the center console and stabbed Belous in the back, the document said.
When police arrived, the affidavit said, Belous played the role of victim and told the officers Peglow had carjacked him. After Peglow told police of his abduction, the forced ATM withdrawal, and the death threats, Belous was arrested.
Authorities later learned that Belous was a suspect in a murder days earlier in Philadelphia. Police say Belous killed Jan Silverman, 62, by cutting his throat and then set his house on fire. Belous’ DNA was found at the scene, along with his bloody palm print, authorities said, and he was recorded on surveillance video leaving the victim’s home. Belous faces murder charges in connection with Silverman’s death. That case is pending.
In the Bucks County case, Belous’ attorney, Coley Reynolds, urged the judge to resist “the temptation to sentence him to a de facto life sentence.” He said Belous was remorseful for his actions, and could be rehabilitated in time. He said Belous had a troubled family life and had lost three brothers, one to a hit-and-run, one to a fatal stabbing, and another to an opioid overdose.
“I know the offenses here are incredible and hearing the victims testify was heartbreaking,” Reynolds said. “But I think you’ll see he recognizes the harm he’s done to these people.”
Bateman disagreed, saying Belous, who has a criminal record stretching back to his teenage years, including convictions for carjacking and burglary, deserved a long prison term.