A 28-year-old man was sentenced last week to two life terms in prison without the possibility of parole in the deaths of two of his neighbors.
Jason O'Neil of Dover pleaded guilty but mentally ill last week to two counts of first-degree murder.
Dover Police arrested O'Neil on the July 25, 2011 after his neighbors, 91-year-old Howard A. Sheppard and his 60-year-old son, Howard R. Sheppard, were found dead in their home. Prosecutors say the elder Sheppard died from blunt force trauma to the head; his son died of multiple stab wounds.
O’Neil pleaded guilty on Thursday.
“The senseless act of violence that took these two wholly innocent victims has caused deep pain to their family and traumatized the community,” state Attorney General Beau Biden stated. “The defendant received a sentence that protects the community by ensuring he will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. We also hope it provides some closure for the victims’ family at this difficult time.”
