They will never be the same. That’s what the family of a Johnstown shooting victim said Tuesday as his killer learned his fate.
Dirk Jones was sentenced to 16-36 years in prison in the shooting death of 21-year-old Caleb Beppler.
“I think I can speak for everybody when I say we will never be the same,”
Police say Beppler was shot and killed in the Cambria City section of Johnstown, in June of 2023.
In August, Jones agreed to a plea deal for third-degree murder.
“Every family event we have, where we try to have a good time, there is still always a cloud or always a thought or always some sort of sadness,”
“They say time heals but as of right now, I just don’t believe that this can heal,” one family member added.
During the sentencing, Jones admitted to the killing and apologized to the dozens of Beppler’s family members and friends who were in attendance.
A video of the shooting was also shown, which investigators say shows Jones exiting the former Johnstown bar, Liquid Currency, and suddenly inserting himself into a situation by firing several shots, before walking back into the bar.
During the hearing, seven people close to Beppler also took the stand, reading emotional letters about how their lives have been affected.
Many of them say the future that could have been is what hurts the most, since Beppler was just 21 years old at the time of his death.
Beppler’s family says they’ll never be able to move on from his death, they’re just learning to live with it.
Family and friends of Beppler visited the site of his death releasing balloons and celebrating his life after the sentencing.
During Tuesday’s sentencing, Judge Norman Krumenacker added that in his over 40 years of law, this homicide is one of the most difficult for him to wrap his head around in terms
of why the shooting occurred.