Appeals panel upholds sentence in escort's death
A Pennsylvania state appellate court panel has upheld the 81/2-to-17-year prison sentence given to a Limerick computer consultant convicted in the 2005 death of a teenage escort.
A Pennsylvania state appellate court panel has upheld the 81/2-to-17-year prison sentence given to a Limerick computer consultant convicted in the 2005 death of a teenage escort.
A panel of Superior Court judges ruled that David Downey acted with malice when he failed to summon help for Ashley Burg, 17, who died of a cocaine overdose at his home. Burg grew up in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia and was living in Willingboro when she died.
"[Downey] consciously disregarded an extremely high risk that his refusal to call for medical assistance might cause serious bodily injury to the victim who was experiencing rapid and complete physical deterioration," the judges wrote in an Aug. 31 opinion.
When Burg got sick over a period of several hours on July 31, 2005, Downey called one of her friends and asked her to take the teen away. Burg's body was dumped in Northeast Philadelphia. Downey was convicted last year of providing the drugs that killed Burg, a charge equivalent to third-degree murder. - AP
























