Jennifer Daugherty

Perpetrators

Amber Meidinger first crossed paths with Melvin Knight in January 2010 at a homeless shelter in Washington. The two moved around to different places before eventually landing in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where they became acquainted with Jennifer Daugherty. Knight had previously known Ricky Smyrnes from a stint in jail. Both Knight and another accomplice, Angela Marinucci, were argued to have had severe mental impairments at the time of Daugherty’s death.

Knight’s father was addicted to drugs and spent time in prison during Knight’s early childhood. When Knight was five years old, he fell from a moving vehicle and struck his head, which led to lasting learning and social challenges. Marinucci’s mother and half-sister testified that she was hit by a truck in 2008 when she was 15, causing a head injury. The defense claimed this injury dramatically changed her behavior and set her on a downward path that culminated in Daugherty’s killing.

Two mental health experts stated that Marinucci had struggled with depression as a child and may have dealt with drug and alcohol issues as a teenager. Peggy Miller and Robert Masters, who were roommates of Ricky Smyrnes, had little prior contact with law enforcement before the murder. Smyrnes was born to a mother who was a drug-addicted sex worker in Philadelphia and a father who was a gang member in Pittsburgh. He cycled through foster homes as a child and began receiving mental health treatment as early as age four.

According to forensic psychologist Alice Applegate, Smyrnes endured abuse and neglect until he was taken in by the Smyrnes family in North Huntingdon at age 10. His attorney, Terri Fayes, told the jury that Smyrnes was sexually and physically abused by his father and uncle. She also noted that by age six, he had tried beer, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana; was diagnosed with PTSD at eight; and had completed 103 therapy sessions by the time he turned 10.

Fayes added that he was diagnosed with up to seven distinct personalities and a total of 15 psychiatric conditions. In 1997, Smyrnes broke into a neighbor’s home and stole knives, guitars, coins, bullets, and cash. That same year, he sexually assaulted a woman in her basement. Meidinger testified that she and Knight, then her boyfriend, met Smyrnes on February 8, 2010, after the couple had been staying at a hotel in the Greensburg area.

Abduction and torture

Jennifer Daugherty’s final message was a note left for her mother: “Mom, I hope you have a good day at work, and I love you very much. Love, Jennifer.” According to trial testimony from Meidinger, Daugherty had trusted her because they met at West Place, a facility for people with special needs. That trust led Daugherty to leave her home in Mount Pleasant and go to Smyrnes’ apartment on February 8, 2010. Once there, she was kept against her will for three days and subjected to repeated torture.

Meidinger testified that the group took money, gift cards, and Daugherty’s cell phone from her purse. They poured liquids into her bag, struck her head with full soda bottles, cut her hair, painted her face with nail polish, and dumped liquid and spices over her head. Meidinger said she and Angela Marinucci took turns beating Daugherty with a metal towel rack and crutches. Daugherty was also stripped, gagged, and raped by Knight.

The group forced her to eat feces, drink urine, and consume detergent. Meidinger added that Knight brought Daugherty to the living room, where Marinucci poured water on her head, and Knight and Smyrnes dumped oatmeal and spices on her. When Daugherty said her eyes were burning, Smyrnes told her to shower because she smelled bad.

Relatives said Daugherty had the mental capacity of an adolescent, trusted everyone, and believed the suspects were her friends.

Trial

The prosecution initially sought the death penalty for Smyrnes, Knight, and Meidinger when the trial began on November 3, 2010. As of July 31, 2026, only Knight and Smyrnes remain on death row. During the trial, multiple jail inmates claimed Marinucci had planned Daugherty’s murder days before her body was found. Neighbor Anthony Zappone recalled hearing Marinucci say, “I’m going to kill that bitch.”

Zappone later received a jail sentence for an unrelated burglary. Tina Warrick testified that Marinucci expressed disappointment over the type of Christmas garland Miller had bought to restrain Daugherty and dispose of her body.

Floria Headen reported hearing body slamming and screaming on February 12, 2010. Felisha Hardison, a cellmate and friend of Marinucci, said she saw Marinucci jumping on her bed, excited about appearing on the news. Masters and Meidinger both struck plea deals in exchange for their testimony.

Sentencing

Knight entered a guilty plea on April 12, 2012, to charges of first- and second-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping. After several hours of deliberation on August 30, 2012, a jury voted to sentence him to death.

Knight filed an appeal in September 2014, which led to multiple trial delays, but his sentence was upheld in March 2019. In November 2020, he appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, arguing that jurors acted with passion and prejudice and imposed the death penalty arbitrarily. The court unanimously rejected his appeal.

Marinucci, who was 17 at the time of the crime, received a mandatory life sentence without parole on August 3, 2011, after being convicted of first-degree murder in May. Because she was a minor, she was not eligible for the death penalty. Her life-without-parole sentence was later vacated following the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Supreme Court rulings in Miller v. Alabama and Montgomery v.

Louisiana. However, on July 1, 2015, a jury reimposed the same sentence. Marinucci refused to answer questions before attending that hearing. In May 2022, she was resentenced to 60 years to life, making her eligible for parole in 2070.

Meidinger pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy, and on December 4, 2013, was sentenced to 40 to 80 years in prison. In November 2019, she filed paperwork with the state Board of Pardons, requesting early termination of her sentence.