Waynesboro man found guilty in Franklin County triple murder

Amber South, Chambersburg Public Opinion
·4 min read

A Franklin County man was found guilty in federal court last week for the murder of three people in the Mercersburg area in 2016.

Torey White, 32, of Waynesboro, was convicted Thursday following a three-week trial before U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner.

White was found responsible for the murders of Wendy Chaney, Brandon Cole and Phillip Jackson. They 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.

According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, evidence collected over a seven-year investigation and presented at the trial showed that Chaney was in a relationship with White and another co-conspirator and had previously assisted them in distributing drugs. White and co-conspirator Kevin Coles contracted to have Chaney murdered after learning she was cooperating with federal authorities.

Co-defendents Jerrell Adgebesan and Kenyatta Corbett recruited members of a Baltimore-based gang known as the Black Guerilla Family to travel to Jackson's property to kill Chaney. The killers were promised payment in the amount of $20,000, which they were to take from a safe in the barn, plus any drugs and firearms they could find on the property.

Once at the property, the killers found Cole and Jackson there along with Chaney. Chaney was murdered to protect the drug trafficking activities of Coles and those he was working with, while Jackson and Cole were killed to prevent them from being witnesses.

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Those who killed the three victims never found any money as was promised, but they did take drugs and guns.

White faces three life sentences, one for each murder conviction.

He is among a number of others implicated in this case:

  • Kevin Coles, age 37, of New York and Hagerstown, was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life imprisonment for multiple crimes, including murder for hire, robbery and drug trafficking;

  • Jerell Adgebesan, age 35, of Baltimore and Hagerstown, pled guilty in June 2022 to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery. Judge Conner sentenced Adgebesan in February to life imprisonment and a consecutive 10-year term of imprisonment;

  • Mark Johnson, 35, of Baltimore, pled guilty to obstructing the grand jury’s investigation and was sentenced to 110 months’ imprisonment;

  • Terrance Lawson, age 31, of Baltimore, sentenced to time served for attempting to intimidate a witness;

  • Tyrone Armstrong, age 30, of Baltimore, sentenced to time served for attempting to intimidate a witness;

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

  • Kenyatta Corbett, age 38, of Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting sentencing;

  • Michael Buck, age 30, of Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting sentencing;

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

  • Johnnie Jenkins-Armstrong, age 22, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and to being an accomplice to the use of a firearm during Hobbs Act robbery and is awaiting sentencing;

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

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

  • Yolanda Diaz, 31, of Hagerstown, was indicted on multiple counts of perjury and obstruction of justice based upon her testimony at the Coles trial. Her trial is currently scheduled for this month.

This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: Franklin County triple murder case yields another guilty verdict