Guilty of Murder.
That’s the verdict the jury came to in the case of a Johnstown man that was accused of killing his wife.
Brock Owens has been sitting in on the proceedings throughout the week and has reactions from both sides, including the Defendant Brian Giles.
After about an hour of deliberation the jury came back saying Brian Giles is guilty of murdering his wife Nancy.
It was over five years ago in October 2018 Nancy Giles disappeared before her body was found in may 2019 along the James Wolfe Sculpture Trail in Johnstown when a man metal detecting came across her body.
It wasn’t until three years later Giles was charged and now after another two years is being convicted.
“Obviously we believe Brian killed his wife. We believed that even before charges were filed when we were preparing the case.”
Those preparations led to presenting a case of many letters, phone calls and interviews done by Giles in the last several years and prosecutors say Giles tells about 18 different stories involving the disappearance of his wife.
“It’s nice the get justice for Nancy, for her family, for her friends, but there’s still that underlying bitterness that someone died, and we won’t ever forget that.
Nancy didn’t deserve to die what we believe to be a pretty brutal death.”
Nancy had fractures from blunt force trauma on the front and back of her skull either could have killed her according to expert testimony during the trial.
The Defense did not call any witnesses and Giles did not testify.
“No regrets. The only issue is in order to raise a proper mental health defense or an insanity defense, Mr. Giles would have to admit guilt and he has maintained his
innocence throughout this so we were a little bit limited in how we could raise a mental health defense in this case.”
And Giles continues maintaining his innocence.
“Nope I’m innocent but if this is what they want to do let them do it man. I’ve been railroaded before. It’s all good. There ain’t nothing I can hope for, right? Everybody got what they wanted.”
Giles is set to be sentenced on August 13th at 1 p.m.
First degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence in Pennsylvania.