The Latest: Slain teen’s mom said she was ‘difficult child’
Posted March 20, 2019 11:33 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — The Latest on the fate of a Pennsylvania man who authorities say raped, murdered and dismembered his girlfriend’s daughter (all times local):
2:30 p.m.
The mother of a slain 14-year-old girl says her daughter had a tendency to be a “very difficult child.”
Sara Packer wore a red prison jumpsuit Wednesday as she took the stand in a sentencing hearing for her boyfriend who pleaded guilty in the 2016 rape, murder and dismemberment of Grace Parker. A jury outside Philadelphia must decide on a sentence of death or life without parole.
Sara Packer agreed to plead guilty in her adoptive daughter’s murder in exchange for a life sentence.
She said Wednesday she has a psychology degree and an IQ over 140. She lost her job as an adoptions supervisor in 2010.
Prosecutors say she hated Grace and shared a rape-murder fantasy with Jacob Sullivan.
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12:40 p.m.
The younger brother of a slain 14-year-old girl says the only way he can bear his loss is if adults know her story and then act to prevent child abuse.
A detective read Josh Packer’s statement in court Wednesday as a jury considers the sentence for his sister’s killer.
Forty-six-year-old Jacob Sullivan pleaded guilty in the 2016 rape, murder and dismemberment of Grace Packer. A jury outside Philadelphia must decide on a sentence of death or life without parole.
Grace’s adoptive mother, Sara Packer, has agreed to plead guilty in her murder in exchange for a life sentence.
Josh Packer says if his sister was told she could save other kids’ lives by giving her own, she would ask, “What do I have to do?”
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This story has been corrected to show the detective read the statement in court Wednesday, not Thursday.
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11:40 a.m.
Family members of a slain 14-year-old girl are testifying how her death has impacted them as jurors consider a sentence for her killer.
Forty-six-year-old Jacob Sullivan pleaded guilty in the 2016 rape, murder and dismemberment of his girlfriend’s daughter, Grace Packer. A jury outside Philadelphia must decide on a sentence of death or life without parole.
Grace’s cousin, Karie Heisserer, told jurors Wednesday that it sickened her “to know that Grace was abused, tortured and literally thrown away like she was a piece of trash.”
Grace’s adoptive mother, Sara Packer, has agreed to plead guilty in her murder in exchange for a life sentence. Prosecutors say Sara Packer hated Grace and shared a rape-murder fantasy with Sullivan. She is expected to testify for the defence in the penalty phase of Sullivan’s trial.
The Associated Press
