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Police have charged six people in the death of a woman whose tortured body was found in a plastic garbage container in a Greensburg school parking lot, and her family today said her attackers took advantage of her trusting nature.
Police say Jennifer Daugherty, of Mount Pleasant, was stabbed repeatedly in a second-floor Greensburg apartment where some of the suspects live.
According to police, Ms. Daugherty's hair was shaved and she was bound with Christmas decorations and clothing. Police say she was beaten, her face painted with nail polish and she was fed vegetable oil, spices, detergent, urine and medications.
They say she was also forced to write a suicide note.
Her body was found Thursday at Greensburg Salem Middle School.
Court records show the suspects are: Robert L. Masters Jr., 36, of Greensburg; Ricky V. Smyrnes, 23, of Greensburg; Melvin Knight, 20, of Greensburg; Amber C. Meidinger, 20, of Greensburg; Peggy D. Miller, age unknown, of Mount Pleasant; and Angela Marinucci, 17, of Greensburg.
All are charged with homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault and two counts of criminal conspiracy.
Ms. Daugherty's family said at a press conference this afternoon that she had a mental disability that made her friendly and trusting, and she unknowingly walked into harm's way.
"She was exploited," said Ms. Daugherty's older sister, Joy Burkholder. "Her kindness and her handicap made her very, very vulnerable. She trusted anybody. If you met her today she would be your best friend for life."
Mrs. Burkholder, who spoke with her husband, Lance, said her sister liked wrestling and college football, dancing and singing.
"She believed everyone was good and no one would hurt her."
Ms. Daugherty's relatives said she went to Greensburg Monday to visit people she thought were friends. Though some of their names were familiar, Ms. Burkholder said she was not sure of their relationship to her sister. Police said she had a social life and other appointments that took her to Greensburg frequently.
"She was very secretive about her Greensburg life," Ms. Burkholder said.
Police said Ms. Daugherty was acquainted with all of the defendants and had "some kind of relationship" with Mr. Smyrnes.
The homicide had ringleaders and those who played lesser roles, though police would not elaborate.
Mr. Smyrnes and Mr. Knight, 20, carried her body in the garbage can to the middle school parking lot, Greensburg Chief Walter Lyons said.
Ms. Daugherty, who had both MySpace and Facebook pages, listed herself as a 1998 graduate of Connellsville Area Senior High School. She describes herself as a "country girl" and a wrestling fan.
In a Jan. 26 posting on MySpace, she wrote: "This is my time to make a new start for myself, and making some new friends and not being afraid of anything, so this is going to be a good thing for me."
The suspects were arraigned between 2:30 and 3 a.m. before District Judge James E. Albert.
They have preliminary hearings scheduled for Thursday.
Several of the defendants have been arrested in the past. Mr. Smyrnes has the most extensive record. He has a pending assault case in Allegheny County. Court records show that he had four cases in Westmoreland County. Last year he pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy to engage in burglary; in 2008, he pleaded guilty to simple assault and a summary charge of harassment; a year earlier he pleaded guilty to theft and receiving stolen property; and in 2006 he pleaded guilty to simple assault.
Ms. Miller pleaded guilty in 2005 in Westmoreland County to theft. A bench warrant was issued for her in December for failure to appear at a parole revocation hearing. She also pleaded guilty last year in Fayette County to identity theft, criminal conspiracy, and theft by deception. She received a year of probation.
Mr. Knight was charged in Pittsburgh last year with loitering and prowling at night and a summary count of defiant trespass, but both were withdrawn.
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