Roxanne Severcool

Case information

• Defendant: Roxanne Severcool (juvenile offender)
• Co-defendant: Robert Fadden (boyfriend of Roxanne Severcool; shooter)
• Victims:
  • Lester Severcool, 43
  • Mary Severcool, 38
  • Ted Severcool, 10
  • Also shot but survived: James Severcool

STATUS / legal outcome

Roxanne Severcool was sentenced in February 1982 to life in prison without parole after she was convicted on three counts of first degree murder. Her sentencing was later affected by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared mandatory life in prison without parole sentences imposed on juvenile offenders in homicide cases unconstitutional, and her resentencing was continued to Sept. 14 after a hearing that had been scheduled for Tuesday, July 17. She would have to wait until at least September before she was re-sentenced for the murders.

Background

Roxanne Severcool and her then boyfriend Robert Fadden killed Lester Severcool, 43; Mary Severcool, 38; and Ted Severcool, 10, in Springville Twp. The killings occurred about two months shy of her 18th birthday.

The offence

Roxanne Severcool and Robert Fadden killed Lester Severcool (43), Mary Severcool (38), and Ted Severcool (10) on August 19-20, 1980 by shooting them in their home with a .22-caliber rifle. Another son, James, was also shot but survived.

Investigation

The four victims were discovered at their home on August 23, 1980. Police believed Lester, Mary and Ted Severcool had been dead for several days before they were found. James Severcool, who had been shot in the head, survived. When he regained consciousness, he managed to crawl outside to the front lawn, where he was spotted by a mail carrier. Police immediately suspected Fadden and Roxanne Severcool, and issued a nationwide alert.

Police believed the victims had been dead for several days before they were found. They were eventually found several weeks later in North Carolina, after they had fled with their two-month-old son, Eric.

Arrest / charges

Police believed Fadden and Roxanne Severcool were responsible and issued a nationwide alert. They were eventually found in North Carolina. Fadden was charged immediately with multiple homicide counts. Roxanne Severcool had charges filed against her a week later.

Trial

Both defendants were convicted in separate trials in 1981 of multiple counts of first-degree murder. Roxanne Severcool was convicted on three counts of first degree murder. Fadden was the shooter and was convicted and sentenced separately.

Sentencing

Roxanne Severcool was sentenced in February 1982 to life in prison without parole after her conviction on three counts of first degree murder. Her boyfriend Robert Fadden was sentenced, also in Feb. 1982, to serve three consecutive life terms after a jury conviction.

Appeals / post-sentence proceedings

Roxanne Severcool filed a post-sentence relief (PCRA) petition in 2010, which was put on hold at the county court level, pending a decision on a case that was waiting to be decided by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court: Commonwealth vs. Batts. The Batts case was stayed by the court until the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Miller v. Alabama, which was in June (year not specified in the text).

Resentencing proceedings (current status)

A sentencing hearing for Severcool had been scheduled to be held in the Susquehanna County Court of Common Pleas for Tuesday, July 17, but it was continued to Sept. 14.

District Attorney Jason Legg said the defense attorney requested the continuance. Legg said he agreed to the motion because of “uncertainties that continue to swirl around (the U.S.Supreme Court) decision.” Legg stated there was a question as to whether Miller v. Alabama should be applied retroactively, explaining:

“Both the Commonwealth and the defense are researching that issue. In the interim, there may be some other courts making decisions on the retroactivity issue that could provide some additional guidance,” Legg said.

Legg also explained:

“Second, in the event that Miller v. Alabama is applied retroactively, the defense needed additional time to obtain Ms. Severcool’s correctional records, evaluations and history for purposes of demonstrating her efforts toward rehabilitation during her incarceration over the past 30 years. ”

Aftermath / incarceration

Since her arrest, Severcool had been incarcerated, first in the juvenile system and then the adult state prison system. According to court documents, Severcool had been held since June 28 in the Susquehanna County Correctional Facility awaiting her sentencing hearing.

Roxanne Severcool and Robert Fadden were serving life sentences. The text states that Fadden was incarcerated at the state prison in Somerset, Somerset County, while Roxanne Severcool was at the state prison at Cambridge Springs, Crawford County.

Other details

• The murders involved Lester Severcool (43), Mary Severcool (38), and Ted Severcool (10), and James Severcool was shot but survived.
• The nationwide alert followed police suspicion of Fadden and Roxanne Severcool.
• Fadden was charged immediately with multiple homicide counts; Roxanne Severcool had charges filed against her a week later.
• A U.S. Supreme Court ruling declared mandatory life in prison without parole sentences imposed on juvenile offenders in homicide cases unconstitutional.
• Roxanne Severcool was described as having to wait until at least September before being re-sentenced for the murders.