A former Bensalem man serving 10 years in state prison for two sexual assaults was found hanging in his cell earlier this week.
Marvin Landaverry, 53, whose last address was Arrowhead Drive, was found unresponsive about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, less than one month after he arrived at the State Correctional Institute at Graterford in Montgomery County, according to prison spokeswoman Wendy Shaylor.
County Coroner Dr. Walter Hofman performed an autopsy Thursday morning and ruled Landaverry’s death a suicide; he asphyxiated as a result of hanging.
As per policy, the prison staff and Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the death, but no further details, including what Landaverry used to hang himself, were released. Hofman said additional tests are being performed and results should be available in six weeks.
Landaverry pleaded guilty in June to charges of sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault on a person under age 13, aggravated indecent assault on a person under age 16 and related offenses involving two crimes that date to 2007 and 2011, according to court records. He had been at Graterford since Sept. 24, shortly after a Bucks County judge sentenced him to a minimum 10 years in prison for the two cases.
Bristol Township police initially charged Landaverry in January with indecent assault of a girl in 2007. In April, Bristol Township arraigned him on new charges of sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault involving an adult woman.
The woman reported to police in January that she had been sexually assaulted by Landaverry at his Croydon home and various worksites between March and July 2011, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.
The woman said she lives in “fear and terror” almost daily because of the attacks, according to the court documents.
After the woman moved, the attacks stopped, according to the documents. But the woman told police the suspect showed up unannounced at a family gathering during the holidays at her new home.
What the woman didn’t know is that another girl had already reported to police similar sexual assault allegations that occurred in 2007, according to the affidavit. Bucks County detectives had investigated those claims and Landaverry admitted to sexually assaulting the girl, according to the affidavit.
The methods Landaverry used to assault the girl were similar to those alleged by the woman, according to the affidavit. ..Source.. by Jo Ciavaglia Staff write
No comments:
Post a Comment