Jennifer Daugherty & The Greensburg Six

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23rd April 2020  •  4 min read

Jennifer Daugherty was a 30-year-old woman from Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. She was mentally disabled and had the capacity of a child. Because of her disability, Jennifer trusted everybody. On the 11th of February, 2010, Jennifer’s body was discovered stuffed in a garbage can in a school parking lot. She had sustained prolonged torture before finally…


Jennifer Daugherty & The Greensburg Six

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Jennifer Daugherty was a 30-year-old woman from Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. She was mentally disabled and had the capacity of a child. Because of her disability, Jennifer trusted everybody. “Jennifer was very easy-going,” recollected her mother, Denise Murphy. “She liked to have fun. She was trusting. She made friends easily. She loved to dance and she loved to sing.”

On the 11th of February, 2010, Jennifer’s body was discovered stuffed in a garbage can in a school parking lot. She had sustained prolonged torture before finally being stabbed to death.

An investigation into the grisly discovery revealed that Jennifer had been tortured and murdered by a group of people she considered her friends. “She was exploited and her kindness and her handicap made her very vulnerable. She trusted everybody; she believed everyone was good and no one would hurt her,” said her sister, Joy Burkholder.1

Jennifer had recently told her family that she had made a group of new friends in Greensburg. According to her stepfather, she would travel on her own by bus from her home in Mount Pleasant to Greensburg, which was around ten miles away, for dental or counselling appointments. It was while here that Jennifer had made a group of new friends at a community center.

Then on the 10th of February, 2010, she told her mother and stepfather that she was going to her friend’s apartment for a sleepover. She had planned staying over in Greensburg and then going to a doctor’s appointment the following morning and then return home to Mt. Pleasant. On the morning of the trip, Jennifer wrote a letter on the back of an envelope with the friend’s contact details along with the note: “I hope that you will have a good day at work, and I also love you very much. I will talk to you some time later.”2

Jennifer’s stepfather, Bobby Murphy, dropped her off at the bus station where she kissed him on the cheek and said goodbye. She then hopped on the bus, heading to Greensburg. It was the last time that her mother and stepfather ever saw her alive. “My biggest regret was forcing Jennifer to act as an adult,” said Denise.3

Jennifer travelled down to Peggy Darlene Miller’s apartment. A number of Jennifer’s other so-called friends were there: Robert Loren Masters Jr, Ricky Smyrnes, Melvin Knight, Amber Meidinger and Angela Marinucci. In fact, Jennifer had known Marinucci for several years and the two frequently chatted on the phone. However, almost as soon as Jennifer entered the apartment, things took a horrific turn.

Jennifer Daugherty & The Greensburg Six

Over the course of 36 hours, Jennifer was beaten with a towel rack, a vacuum cleaner hose and a crutch. She was forced to consume detergent, urine and cooking oil as well as medications, spices and nail polish.4 She was bound with Christmas decorations while her head was shaved and her face was painted with nail polish.

In addition, Jennifer was raped by Knight. When the group became fed up with the torture, they decided they would finally end Jennifer’s life. They forced her to write a suicide note. “Ricky tells us the suicide letter was to be written and put in Jennifer’s back pocket so when someone finds her, it would look like a suicide,” said Meidinger.5

Jennifer was then stabbed in the heart and lungs by Knight. Despite the brutal stab wounds, Jennifer was still very much alive. “The bitch still ain’t dead!” shouted Knight. Smyrnes then grabbed the knife and slit Jennifer’s wrist. Still clinging to life, the men then choked Jennifer by pulling two ends of Christmas lights which had been looped around her neck.

Meidinger, Miller and Masters all pleaded guilty to the murder and gave detailed gruesome testimony about the murder. They described how Marinucci became jealous of Jennifer and feared that she was developing a relationship with Smyrnes, who was her boyfriend. They alleged that it was Marinucci who had lured Jennifer to the apartment and once here, Smyrnes led the attack on Jennifer.6

Police had not accused Miller and Masters of participating in the physical abuse and murder of Jennifer but evidence during the trials indicated that they were part of the “family meetings” in which the group agreed that Jennifer should be murdered. At one point during the ordeal, Miller and Masters had been left alone with Jennifer while the other four left the apartment for a while. During this time, Jennifer begged them to let get go or to call for help. Instead, however, Miller and Masters alerted the rest of the group.

Their lawyers attempted to argue that they were scared of the others and feared that they too would be murdered. Both Miller and Masters would make tearful pleas for leniency: “I was scared for my life. I should have done something, but I didn’t because I was scared. Can the family forgive me?” questioned Masters. Miller said: “I am sorry and I am guilty. She was my friend, and I should not have voted for her to die.”

Jennifer’s family responded to their statements and asked the judge for them to receive harsh sentences for their role in the murder. “You had my sister as a friend. She loved Miller and valued her. You didn’t value her. You probably value a hairbrush more than you value her.”

Marinucci was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Knight  and Smyrnes were sentenced to death. Meidinger pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 to 80 years. Masters pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 to 70 years in prison. Miller pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 35 to 74 years in prison.

Outside of court, Bobby, Jennifer’s stepfather, said: “Closure is Jennifer coming back to us, and Jennifer won’t come back, so there is no closure…”

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Footnotes:

  1. CBS – 11 KTVA, 16 February, 2010 – “Jennifer Daugherty, Mentally Disabled Woman, Trusted Everyone”
  2. Tribune Review, 17 May, 2011 – “Jennifer Daughtery’s Mother Tells Jury About Trusting Daughter”
  3. The Valley Independent, 18 March, 2014 – “Final Sentences Given in Daugherty Murder”
  4. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 19 May, 2011 – “Marinucco Will Serve Life in Prison”
  5. Tribune Review, 8 February, 2013 – “Suspect Testifies it Took 3 Tries to Kill Jennifer Daughterty”
  6. NBC – 11, 4 December, 2013 – “3 Accomplices Plead Guilty to Murder”

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Nancy
Nancy
3 years ago

What awful people

Melissa owens
Melissa owens
3 years ago

Not everyone that calls you friend is a true Friend. This horrible event should have never taken place I hope they all die in prison and never get out.

Tara
Tara
3 years ago

What a terrible shame that these awful people had nothing better to do than to torture such a beautiful, sweet soul! May Jennifer RIP !

Tori
Tori
3 years ago

I hope all of them rot in prison and become prison bitches.

Dakota
Dakota
3 years ago

rest easy, dear, im so so sorry that happened to you. i hope these people rot in prison and every day they are haunted by the fact that they tortured and murdered a person that thought they were her friends. reading this made me cry so hard, i wish she somehow survived.

carrie
carrie
3 years ago

These ugly bitches to do that make me sick

carrie
carrie
3 years ago

You want us we never know I think they were jealous of her because she was way prettier it’s sad

Therese M Christensen
Therese M Christensen
3 years ago

Death is too good for these animals. They need to spend every day of their lives in general population and suffer whatever fate comes their way at the hands of the other prisoners.

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[…] Feb. 10, 2010, Jennifer left her parent’s house. She told her parents that she was going to a sleepover in Greensburg, PA. Jennifer had a doctor’s appointment […]

jpgenius
jpgenius
2 years ago

Poor Jennifer. I honestly hope the death sentences handed down are commuted so these sickos can face what they’ve done for a very long time.

Karen M Gower
Karen M Gower
2 years ago

What a horrifying story to read. My tears keep on coming. Sweet Jennifer your pain is no longer. And I hope in time that your families pain subsides. 💔 To the people sitting and rotting in prison your the most evil kind of people. A giant picture of Jennifer should be hanging out of reach where they can see it every single day of their lives and remember what they did. RIP 🙏 sweet Jennifer

Jasmine
Jasmine
2 years ago

These people are garbage but you’re a different kind of garbage. Leave it to a racist to not know how to spell.

Desteny
Desteny
1 year ago

My heart goes out to Jennifer’s family she was a beautiful soul. My honest opinion is knight smyrnes should not have gotten the death penalty that’s way to damn easy they should have rotten in jail for the rest of their life an have the chance to endure some of the pain they had inflicted on her!!!!!

Kipp
Kipp
1 year ago

Just heard Jennifers story over a podcast and I could not go without having comment on this site. This is just terrible how these 6 individuals acted and their souls will forever burn….
My heart goes out to Jennifers family and friends 🙁

Duhnohnne leron reed
Duhnohnne leron reed
3 months ago

Can someone help I’m in FL and ha e o er and over try to get someone I’m in this they have done mentally more then u could believe I’ve 17 yrs to get someone no one will do anything it’s really happening to me they robbed me humiliate me they dehumanized slave been attacked three times by the police been baker acted I promise that this happening to me no one anywhere around will do anything I’ve held on I’m not going to get in to the depth of it but this is where they do more things mentally… Read more »

Anthony
Anthony
3 months ago

Smyrnes and Knight will never be executed. Not in Pennsylvania. To add insult to injury, for $14.99 a month, these two scumbags get to watch cable tv in their cells all day, every day. Throwing them into the general population of a maximum-security prison is more of a punishment than living on death row, where they’re protected from other prisoners.

Shame on the Greensburg 6.

Grave Moss
Grave Moss
2 months ago
Reply to  Anthony

Totally man. This is just messed up beyond belief.
I have a tender heart for those with special needs.
The one itty-bitty decent thing is here in Pennsylvania life is life, no parole.
But yes, throw ’em in Gen-Pop so the inmates can have at them.

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