Yvonne Hiller

Case overview

Yvonne Hiller was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole on September 24, 2012. The sentencing followed a finding that she had been guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of LaTonya Brown, 36, and Tanya Wilson, 47, and one count of attempted murder for shooting Bryant Dalton, 41. The case involved a shooting at the Kraft-Nabisco cookie plant in Northeast Philadelphia in 2010.

Timeline

• September 9, 2010 — Yvonne Hiller shot LaTonya Brown, 36, and Tanya Wilson, 47, and wounded Bryant Dalton, 41, at the Kraft Foods plant in Northeast Philadelphia.
• September 10, 2012 — A trial ended with the defendant found guilty; Yvonne Hiller had been found guilty of two counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
• September 24, 2012 — Common Pleas Court Judge Benjamin Lerner sentenced Yvonne Hiller to two consecutive life terms without parole.

The offence

Yvonne Hiller shot three coworkers at the Kraft Foods plant in Northeast Philadelphia.

Hiller worked as a helper on the dough-mixing floor and was involved in disputes with coworkers for months and years, accusing LaTonya Brown and Tanya Wilson of spraying her with chemicals and deer urine and of talking behind her back. On the day of the shooting, Hiller argued with coworkers and was escorted out of the building by a security guard after a supervisor listened to both sides and decided to suspend her. Hiller returned and went to the third-floor break room, where she told one woman to get out and then fired at the three others present, killing Brown and Wilson and wounding Dalton.

Hiller also fired shots at her supervisor in a third-floor hallway, and fired at another employee described as either a mechanic or maintenance man who followed her and warned employees to flee while talking to police on a cell phone. Both of those shots missed. Police also said Hiller fired a shot at the first officers on the scene, and backed off when a SWAT team arrived.

The shooting occurred after Hiller was escorted from the plant. She carried a .357 Magnum in her car and returned to the plant, pointed the gun at two unarmed security guards, and ordered them to open the gate.

Investigation and policing actions

After the shooting, Hiller hid and called 911. A supervisor, Cpl. Janice Leader, got on the line. Leader later recounted that Hiller sounded “exhausted, like a weight had been lifted off her,” and that Hiller told her to say goodbye to her son.

“She told me to say goodbye to her son,” she recounted. “I said, 'You'll see your son tomorrow.' . . . I just didn't want her to hurt anyone else.”

Leader stayed on the phone for about 40 minutes. Leader later said she told Hiller to put the gun down and put her hands on her head so police would know she was not being aggressive. Hiller complied, and she was arrested about 9:30 after the lab door opened and officers entered.

The gun was empty when Hiller was arrested, though she had more ammunition and had not reloaded.

A police officer, Michael Murphy, testified he responded to the shooting about 9 that night and heard a gunshot in a hallway, followed by a bullet whizzing above his left shoulder and then hitting a wall.

A Kraft security guard, Marc Bentley, testified that Hiller pointed the gun at his face and told him to open the doors. Bentley testified that he hit the ground in his security booth, hit the switch to open the door, and called 9-1-1 on his cell phone.

Homicide Capt. James Clark described the third victim as Bryant Dalton, and said LaTonya Brown and Tanya Wilson died at the scene, while Dalton was hit in the neck and was in critical condition at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Chief Inspector Joseph Sullivan described the response and said a mechanic saved lives and time by directing officers to the laboratory where coworkers were hiding.

Arrest and custody

Hiller was held without bail on murder and related charges.

She waived her right to a jury trial so prosecutors would not seek the death penalty.

Hiller was arrested about 9:30, with the gun empty and her complying with police instructions after communication with Cpl. Janice Leader.

Pre-trial disputes and related allegations

Hiller contended that she suffered years of chemical abuse and believed coworkers had sprayed her with chemicals and deer urine.

At least one OSHA-related complaint was described as being connected to accusations that an employee was “being harassed by various other employees” and “being sprayed with chemicals and even deer urine” at work, and a Kraft letter to OSHA described complaints alleging exposure to “a variety of chemicals.”

A Kraft spokeswoman said by e-mail that Hiller later claimed she made the anonymous complaint.

Hiller was also described as having called 9-1-1 multiple times before the shooting due to the smell she believed was contaminating her home. Neighbors described her as consistently worried about a smell and as frequently calling police, and one neighbor described Hiller’s mental state as frightening and a sign of something mentally wrong.

Trial

Charges and findings

Yvonne Hiller was charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and related offenses connected to the September 9, 2010 incident.

During the trial, Court of Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Lerner found Hiller guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

First-degree murder carried a mandatory life sentence.

Hiller sat quietly in a black Islamic dress and head scarf during the emotional hearing Monday and read a prepared statement when called upon by the judge. She apologized and asked forgiveness from the victims’ families and her own.

Hiller also asserted at the hearing that she believed her coworkers had been poisoning her for years and described seeking help from doctors, therapists, and OSHA.

“I'm not excusing what I did,” she said. “I really thought they were poisoning me.”

She said that she had called doctors, therapists and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and that before the shooting, “my life was taken from me by my coworkers.” She said going to work every day was “a living hell, subjected to pranks by my coworkers.”

Prosecutor Gail Fairman argued during testimony that Hiller admitted firing seven shots, and also argued that the seventh target, not mentioned because of the “stigma” in shooting at police, was the officer.

A defense attorney, Wendy Ramos, argued that Hiller had said in her statement that she had not fired at police.

Victim impact statements and courtroom remarks

At the emotional hearing Monday, Judge Benjamin Lerner heard from the victims’ relatives and Hiller’s niece.

Dalton described his life as “basically destroyed” on Sept. 9, 2010.

“I'm not the same person. I lost a lot of myself. I'm not the father I should be,” he said.

Terral Brown said her daughter LaTonya was scared the day of the shooting, and quoted her daughter.

“She told me this woman kept following her around the building. She said, 'Mom, I don't feel safe.' ”

Several relatives addressed what they wanted from punishment.

Trachelle Brown and Tyleesha Brown, daughters of LaTonya Brown, said Hiller deserved the death penalty. Trachelle Brown described the absence of closure.

“There's never going to be closure,” Trachelle Brown said.

Trachelle Brown also recalled telling younger siblings on the night of the killing that their mother was not coming home.

“Hiller can call her kids from jail,” Tracherel Brown said. “All I can do is listen to my mom's voice on the answering machine over and over.”

Before the hearing, one of Hiller’s relatives said the coworkers made matters worse.

“Instead of leaving her alone or helping her, they made it worse,” one of Hiller's relatives whispered before the hearing.

Dorothy Brown, Brown’s grandmother, said: “I hope they never let her out.” She said: “She broke my family apart.”

Sentencing

On September 24, 2012, Judge Benjamin Lerner sentenced Yvonne Hiller to two consecutive life terms without parole.

Judge Lerner stated there was “no practical difference between imposing concurring or consecutive punishment” and said he intended to make a symbolic statement about separate lives that were lost.

“There's no practical difference between imposing concurring or consecutive punishment,” he said. “It's a need I feel to make a symbolic statement of the preciousness of these separate lives that have been lost.”

Outcome

Yvonne Hiller received two consecutive life terms without parole on September 24, 2012.

People involved (as named)

• Yvonne Hiller (43) — defendant; Kraft Foods plant worker.
• LaTonya Brown (36) — victim; shot and killed.
• Tanya Wilson (47) — victim; shot and killed.
• Bryant Dalton (41 in sentencing narrative; 39 in some trial descriptions) — victim; shot and wounded.
• Benjamin Lerner — Common Pleas Court Judge.
• Gail Fairman — prosecutor.
• Wendy Ramos — public defender.
• Cpl. Janice Leader — 911 supervisor.
• Chief Inspector Joseph Sullivan — described the police response.
• Homicide Capt. James Clark — described the victims and the shooting.
• Michael Murphy — police officer witness.
• Dominic Mangoni — Homicide Detective (read Hiller’s statement in court at the preliminary hearing).
• Marc Bentley — Kraft security guard; testified.
• Dave — mechanic; described as directing officers and saving lives.
• Fred Capps — coworker acting shop steward.
• Joyce Hodel — Kraft Foods corporate affairs (comments included).
• John Lazar — union leader (comments included).
• Terral Brown — LaTonya Brown’s mother.
• Robin — LaTonya Brown’s mother (named in separate narrative as Robin).
• Trachelle Brown — LaTonya Brown’s daughter.
• Tyleesha Brown — LaTonya Brown’s daughter.
• Tyleesha — daughter named in sentencing narrative.
• Julia Norris — Wilson’s mother-in-law.
• Jenine Harris — Brown’s best friend.
• Dorothy Brown — LaTonya Brown’s grandmother.
• Stephen Devine — attorney named as discussing possible civil lawsuits.

Other details

Hiller was described as divorced and the mother of an adult son.

Neighbors described Hiller as having a security camera outside her home and as living by herself in a two-story brick rowhouse with a tidy lawn and porch on Carver Street near Tabor Avenue.

Hiller was described as having more than one suspension from Kraft, including a suspension in 2002 and another in August, and being escorted off the property about 8:30 p.m. Thursday night after a supervisor listened to disputes and decided to suspend her.

Hiller was described as legally owning her gun and as having a permit to carry. Police said she legally bought her .357 Magnum in March and carried it in her car.

Hiller made statements to police alleging her home was contaminated and that she had proof of contamination.

Hiller was described as wearing a black Muslim headscarf during the preliminary hearing and trial narratives, and as reading from a statement with low, steady voice while wearing black-rimmed glasses. She apologized during the hearing and asked forgiveness.

Kraft closed the plant until further notice, and employees who worked earlier in the week were to be paid their full 40 hours.