Appeals court rejects woman's attempt to withdraw guilty plea in strangulation case

Terrie Morgan-Besecker, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·2 min read

May 30—A state appellate court upheld a Lackawanna County judge's denial of a woman's request to withdraw her guilty plea for her role in strangling a man.

Amanda Wayda, 24, of Shickshinny, pleaded guilty in August 2017 to third-degree murder in connection with the 2016 killing of Joshua Rose, 21, of Luzerne. Wayda admitted she helped two co-defendants, Preston Layfield, 24, of Scranton, and Tyler Mirabelli, 27, of Clarks Summit, kill Rose as they rode in a vehicle.

According to police, Rose suffered a possible drug overdose on Aug. 25, 2016, at a Scranton home. Wayda, Layfield and Mirabelli placed him in the front seat of a vehicle and, instead of taking him to nearby Moses Taylor Hospital, headed north on Interstate 81 with Mirabelli driving and Layfield and Wayda in the back.

As Mirabelli drove, Wayda placed a bag over Rose's head while Layfield used a set of jumper cables to strangle him. The trio dumped his body in a wooded area in Hop Bottom, Susquehanna County.

Lackawanna County Judge Andy Jarbola sentenced all three defendants in November 2017. Wayda was sentenced to 15 to 40 years in prison; Layfield and Mirabelli were each sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison.

Wayda sought to withdraw her plea after sentencing, alleging the district attorney's office failed to advise her about certain promises regarding sentencing it made to Layfield as part of his plea deal. She claimed that violated evidentiary rules that mandate prosecutors provide defendants with any information that may be pertinent to their defense.

According to court records, prosecutors promised Layfield they would not seek a stiffer sentence for him than the other defendants. Wayda claimed that, had she known that, she would not have pleaded guilty.

In rejecting the claim, the Superior Court cited evidence that showed Wayda's attorney was provided information on Layfield's sentencing agreement at a pretrial hearing, therefore there was no violation of evidence rules.

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9137;

@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter.