Maryland man sentenced to life in prison for role in Franklin County triple murder

Amber South, Chambersburg Public Opinion
·3 min read

One of the 15 people charged in connection with the murders of three people on a Franklin County property in 2016 has been sentenced to life in prison.

Jerrell Adgebesan, 35, of Baltimore and Hagerstown, Md., pleaded guilty last year to recruiting members of a gang to kill a woman who was cooperating in state and federal drug investigations, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. U.S. District Judge Christopher C. Conner handed down the life sentence to Adgebesan last week, as well as a consecutive 20-year prison sentence on a related robbery charge.

Wendy Chaney, Brandon Cole and Phillip Jackson were found bound, shot and set ablaze on June 25, 2016, in a barn on Jackson's property on Welsh Run Road, Mercersburg. Chaney, 39, of Hagerstown, and Cole, 47, of Fayetteville, were dead when first responders arrived, and Jackson, 36, died shortly after arriving at York Hospital.

Each victim had their hands zip-tied behind their back and had been set on fire. Chaney was shot twice in her back and neck, and the others were shot once in the head.

Authorities released nothing about the investigation until an indictment of 11 people, including Adgebesan, was unsealed in 2019.

Evidence presented at Adgebesan's guilty plea proceeding in June showed that Chaney had been assisting defendants Kevin Coles, with whom she had been in a romantic relationship, and Torey White in a drug distribution operation, according to a news release from the district court. They and another defendant, Devin Dickerson, contracted to have Chaney murdered after discovering she was a confidential informant.

Adgebesan and another defendant, Kenyatta Corbett, recruited members of a nationwide gang based in Baltimore, the Black Guerilla Family, and others to travel to Jackson's property and kill Chaney, according to the district court. The indictment showed the plan included robbing Jackson, who had allegedly been buying drugs from members of the gang. In the end, Cole was also there and all three were killed.

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The killers were told their payment would be $20,000 that was to be in a safe in the barn and any drugs and firearms they could find. They never found the money, but did take some drugs and firearms.

Others charged in connection with the triple murder are:

  • Devin Dickerson, 31, of Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and crack and is awaiting sentencing;

  • Kenyatta Corbett, 38, and Michael Buck, 30, both of Hagerstown, and Johnnie Jenkins-Armstrong, 22, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act (a federal statute prohibiting robbery, attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce) robbery and to being an accomplice in the use of a firearm during a Hobbs Act robbery and are awaiting sentencing;

  • Nicholas Preddy, 29, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to attempting to kill a witness and is awaiting sentencing;

  • Terrance Lawson, 31, and Tyrone Armstrong, 30, both of Baltimore, were sentenced to time served for attempting to intimidate a witness;

  • Christopher Johnson, 31, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to multiple counts including murder for hire and is awaiting sentencing;

  • Mark Johnson, 35, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to obstructing the grand jury's investigation and was sentenced to more than nine years in prison;

  • Llesenia Woodard, 46, of Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to providing false testimony to the grand jury and is awaiting sentencing;

  • Kevin Coles, 36, of New York and Hagerstown, was found guilty in April of murder for hire and other crimes and is awaiting sentencing;

  • Yolanda Diaz, 31, of Hagerstown, is to go on trial in March for multiple counts of perjury and obstruction of justice based on her testimony at Coles' trial.

In addition, Joshua Davis, 30, pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy to locate and kill a person believed to be cooperating with federal authorities investigating the murders of Chaney, Cole and Jackson. He was sentenced to more than eight years in prison.

Torey White is to go on trial in May.

Multiple local, state and federal law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation.

This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: MD man sentenced for role in Franklin County, PA triple murder