Pocono News Section

Double Murderer Spared the Death Penalty

Double Murderer Spared the Death Penalty - Tuesday, October 2, 2007 at 6:25PM EST

Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 @06:25pm EST

A deadlocked jury could not decide if convicted double murderer William Rohland of Old Forge would get the death sentence.

They could not unanimously decide between life in prison without parole, or the death sentence.

In that scenario, the judge automatically decides life without parole.

Convicted double murder William Rohland was optimistic coming out of the Luzerne County Courthouse.

He said, “If the conviction phase of the trial went like the penalty phase, things would have been different.”

Rohland is guilty of shooting and killing Kelly Fasulka and Joseph Hernandez.

It all happened in Avoca last year.

Police call it a drug deal gone bad.

Defense attorney Bill Ruzzo says, “Nobody won here. There are two good people who are dead here. William Rohland is essentially dead too, in prison for the rest of his life.”

After his sentence, the judge allowed Fasulka’s mother to talk to Rohland.

She asked him to say he’s sorry.

Rohland replied, I’m sorry for your loss mam.

Luzerne County District Attorney Michael Melnick pushed for the death penalty, but says he’s not upset about today’s outcome.

Melnick says, “At the end of the day we wanted to bring it to the jury, and whatever they decided, we’re happy with that. They were the independent arbitrators of the facts.”

Rohland says he will appeal the decision.