CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Damien Ditz was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison by Clarion County Judge James Arner on Wednesday for the murder of his girlfriend, Katrina Seaburn, on March 1, 2017.
Ditz, 23, was found guilty of third-degree murder following a week-long trial at the Clarion County Courthouse that concluded on Dec. 7, 2018.
The verdict was handed down by a jury of seven women and five men after nearly three hours and 45 minutes of deliberations.
The jury also found Ditz guilty of two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault and one count of recklessly endangering another person.
One aggravated assault and one of the simple assault convictions came with “use of a deadly weapon.” He was found not guilty of first-degree murder.
Ditz fatally shot 22-year-old Clarion University student Katrina Renee Seaburn, of Curwensville in her car, near a trailer park in the area of Lake Lucy, Washington Township, Clarion County, Pa., on March 1, 2017. Ditz was driving Seaburn’s car at the time of the incident.
The two, according to statements given to state police by Ditz, were having an argument over $130 that Ditz lent a friend, DaShon Smerker, who he considered a cousin.
Ditz originally told police the night of the murder that the gun, a 45-caliber Glock, had fallen off the dashboard of the car, where it had been sitting since the night before, hit the console and gone off killing Seaburn.
Later the same night, he changed his story and said the gun fell off the dashboard, he grabbed the gun and then it went off killing Seaburn.
But, in June of 2017, during questioning at the Ridgway-based state police barracks, Ditz again changed his story and said the gun fell off the dashboard, he placed it next to the console and then during the argument over the $130, he picked up the gun to place it in the backseat and was waving it in the air, and it went off killing Seaburn.
Adam Bishop, Ditz’s attorney, painted the shooting as accidental and pushed for an involuntary manslaughter charge, while Clarion County District Attorney Mark Aaron was looking for a first-degree murder conviction.
RELATED:
Convicted Murderer Damien Ditz to Be Sentenced Today at Clarion County Courthouse
Damien Ditz Could Face Up to 40 Years in Prison When Sentenced on Wednesday
Damien Ditz to Be Sentenced This Month for Murder of Girlfriend
District Attorney Says Ditz Murder Trial Shows County Takes Domestic Violence Seriously
Ditz Could Face Up to 40 Years in State Prison After Murder Conviction
Damien Ditz Found Guilty of Third-Degree Murder
Ditz Murder Trial in Hands of Jury Following Closing Arguments
Ditz Testifies in Own Defense; Closing Arguments to Be Heard on Friday in Murder Trial
Jury Hears Conflicting Statements in Damien Ditz Murder Trial
First Day of Ditz Murder Trial Cut Short After Defendant Has ‘Medical Emergency’
Opening Arguments Given in Ditz Trial; Disagreement Over Intention
Jury Picked in Damien Ditz Murder Trial
Jury Selection Underway in Damien Ditz Homicide Trial
An Emotional Roller Coaster: Mother of Murder Victim Shares Her Story
Attorney for Clarion Man Accused of Murder Works to Suppress Statements to Police
Clarion Man Accused of Killing Girlfriend Headed to Court
UPDATE: Clarion Man Admits to Fatally Shooting Woman After Losing Temper
Clarion Man Charged with Homicide in Fatal Shooting
READ MORE … http://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/