Two guilty of murdering Russian immigrant
Two men charged in the Sept. 2, 2009, carjacking and death of a Russian immigrant who lived in Philadelphia were found guilty Tuesday of felony murder.
Two men charged in the Sept. 2, 2009, carjacking and death of a Russian immigrant who lived in Philadelphia were found guilty Tuesday of felony murder.
A Burlington County jury deliberated for a day and a half before convicting Robby Willis, 29, and Marcus White, 20, in the shooting death of Lyudmila Burshteyn, a naturalized citizen who managed rental properties in the Frankford section of the city after emigrating from Russia with her family.
The men face 30 years to life in prison when they are sentenced in late January, said First Assistant Burlington County Prosecutor Raymond Milavsky, who prosecuted the case.
"The jury paid a lot of attention during this long trial and worked very hard to deliver a verdict that held them accountable for this vicious murder," Milavsky said.
The trial began Sept. 25.
The convictions came more than a year after a third man pleaded guilty in Burshteyn's killing and a fourth was tried and found guilty.
The four were accused of carjacking Burshteyn from Frankford, placing her blindfolded on the floor of the backseat, pistol-whipping her, driving her around for five hours, and then shooting her in a secluded field in Mansfield Township, Burlington County.
The men were arrested three days later in South Carolina during a motor vehicle stop. They were fleeing in her car.
Last year, codefendant Lenroy Laurance, 30, was convicted of felony murder in a separate trial. Kareem Harrison, 20, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and testified against the others.
Laurance also faces 30 years to life, while Harrison could get 30 years, of which he would have to serve at least 251/2.
All four men are from Philadelphia and remain incarcerated pending sentencing.
Superior Court Judge Jeanne T. Covert presided over the trial.