FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) – Two people accused of murdering a Franklin woman before dumping and burning her body in a wooded area were in court Monday morning.
District Judge Matthew Kirtland ordered the charges against 28-year-old Richard A. Kennedy, of Vandergrift, and 32-year-old Amanda L. Cypher, of Franklin, held for court.
Kennedy and Cypher are accused of the crime which was apparently over a botched drug deal. Police believe Kennedy used a pair of brass knuckles and a heavy frying pan to beat to death 25-year-old Tausha Lee Baker, of Franklin, on Friday, October 27. Cypher is accused of being involved in the crime and helping to cover it up.
Kennedy is facing charges of Criminal Homicide; Conspiracy — Criminal Homicide; and Aggravated Assault, all first-degree felonies, and Abuse of a Corpse and Tampering with or Fabricating Physical Evidence, both second-degree misdemeanors.
District Attorney Shawn White had charges added to the indictment against Kennedy, including Aggravated Assault, a second-degree felony, and three first-degree misdemeanors that include Possession of an Instrument of Crime With Intent; Possession of a Weapon; and Make Repairs/Sell/Etc. Offensive Weapons.
Cypher is facing charges of Conspiracy — Criminal Homicide and Aggravated Assault, both first-degree felonies, and Abuse of a Corpse and Tampering with or Fabricating Physical Evidence, both second-degree misdemeanors. A charge of Aggravated Assault, a second-degree felony was also added.
Judge Kirtland Hears Testimonies During Preliminary Hearing
Kirtland heard testimony 11 different people, including two men who lived in the house where police believe Tausha Baker was killed, four investigators, the Venango County coroner, and the victim’s father.
Testimonies from Bill Umstead, who was renting the house (pictured below), and Mark Daniels, who lived there, revealed that Kennedy and Cypher were at the residence looking for Baker. They were looking for Baker concerning a dispute over a $200.00 drug transaction.
He then walked to the home of Tausha’s father, Doug Baker, to talk to him and to try to tell him what was going on; but, before he got Doug Baker to understand him, he said he saw Cypher and Kennedy there.
Umstead returned home to the residence at 1313 New Street, and at that point, Daniels was calling the police.
When officers from Franklin City Police arrived, Umstead and Daniels spoke with them. Then, Kennedy and Cypher were seen at the corner of New and 13th Street, and police gave chase.
They soon detained Cypher, but Kennedy ran from the area.
Daniels gave his testimony stating that he didn’t go to bed until around 4:00 a.m. and that Kennedy and Cypher were still at the house, as well as another man. Daniels said another man — Greg — came to the New Street residence before he went to bed. Greg Militello was living at Doug Baker’s home where Tausha also resided. Daniels said he heard “Amanda” trying to get Tausha to come over so that they could get drugs.
Daniels said after he went to bed, he heard a yell.
“I assumed (the defendants) were arguing, but I didn’t go down.”
Later, when Daniels asked Kennedy what had happened, Kennedy said he had cut his hand, but didn’t say how.
Tausha’s father, Doug, then testified. He said he had been drinking since Wednesday because it was his birthday and also had smoked some marijuana. He wasn’t sure about when he saw certain people.
“My mind is so scattered right now,” Baker said during his testimony. “I still haven’t accepted this.”
Another Franklin resident, Penny McCoy, testified that Kennedy and Cypher had shown up at her residence on Hillside Avenue where she lives with her boyfriend, Kevin Yeager. Yeager wasn’t there at the time because police had arrested him for assaulting McCoy earlier on October 27.
McCoy said she knew Kennedy from years ago and hadn’t seen him for awhile. She testified that she saw both defendants wash their hands and change clothes before leaving.
When Franklin Police Lt. Aaron Campbell went to McCoy’s residence, he received permission to search it.
Lt. Campbell testified that he saw several items that McCoy said didn’t belong to her in an upstairs bedroom. When the officer searched another bedroom, he noticed an access panel to the attic had been displaced.
“When I looked in I saw a pair of gold and white Air Jordans. When I pulled the shoes out, there appeared to be blood on the shoelaces, sides, and heels of the shoe,” Lt. Campbell said.
A resident who lives nearby testified that he and his wife were driving to Franklin to shop and have dinner when they passed a vehicle parked at a known dump site between 4:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. They saw two people at the vehicle, but couldn’t positively identify them.
