GREENSBURG, Pa., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Lawyers for a Pennsylvania man accused of torture and murder said he should not get the death penalty because of his low intelligence, court documents indicate.
Ricky V. Smyrnes, 24, of Greensburg, said Wednesday in pretrial motions his IQ test turned up a score of 67 and he functions at a third-grade level, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
"The defendant has a long history as a victim of abuse, and a long history of mental health issues," Smyrne's lawyers, Terrance Faye and Scott Avolio, said.
Smyrnes -- along with Melvin Knight, 20; Amber Meidinger, 20; Angela Marinucci, 18, Peggy Darlene Miller, 27; and Robert Loren Masters, 36; all of Greensburg -- are accused of first-degree murder and face charges for other offenses in allegedly torturing and killing their mentally-handicapped roommate, 30-year-old Jennifer Daugherty, Feb. 11.
Police said the suspects held Daugherty hostage for more than two days in the apartment they shared, tortured her, stabbed her to death, put her body in a trash can and left it in a Greensburg Salem Middle School parking lot.
The prosecution seeks the death penalty for Smyrnes, Knight and Meidinger, whom it named as the ringleaders. Smyrnes said he wants the criminal charges against him dropped partly because he said Knight confessed to police that Knight fatally stabbed Daugherty.
All six defendants are expected to appear in court Oct. 29 for the first of three days of pretrial hearings.
