LANCASTER, PA — A Columbia man was sentenced to life in prison on Friday after admitting guilt to the shocking rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl and the rape of a second victim. The crimes, committed in February 2023, have sent shockwaves through Lancaster County.
Jason Shackelford, a 40-year-old resident of the 500 block of Avenue H, pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree murder, rape of a child, two counts of rape, three counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, four counts of sexual assault, and strangulation.
“I’m a lifelong Lancaster County resident,” Prosecuting Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick said during the proceedings. “This is one of the most vile, heinous crimes we’ve ever seen here. I hope he thinks about Elaina’s face every day for the rest of his life and he’s tortured by it.”
Lancaster County Judge Jeffery Wright accepted the guilty plea and sentenced Shackelford to life in prison without parole, plus an additional 40 years for raping, strangling, and killing Elaina Smith. Shackelford also received another life sentence, plus 25 to 50 years for the rape of the second victim, a second-strike offense.
“Remember Elaina’s name, her smile,” Judge Wright urged Smith’s bereaved family. “Remember the light and hope she brought into your life.”
The court heard how Shackelford admitted to raping and killing Elaina Smith at his Columbia residence on the night of February 8, 2023, into February 9. ADA Haverstick detailed how the pair were watching a movie before Shackelford murdered Smith by strangulation and chillingly placed her body in a freezer. An initial search by the Columbia Borough Police Department led to the grim discovery.
East Lampeter Township Police later responded to a domestic disturbance at the Wyndham Lancaster hotel. There, officers encountered Shackelford and a second victim who revealed that Shackelford had kidnapped Smith while she was working a night shift.
Shackelford had texted the second victim, claiming Smith was unwell and in bed. Upon returning home from work, she found Smith’s bed empty. Shackelford claimed he had taken Smith to New York and that she was safe.
The second victim further stated that Shackelford raped her before forcing her to go to the Wyndham Lancaster hotel with him. He used Smith’s well-being as leverage and sexually assaulted the second victim again at the hotel before allowing her to smoke a cigarette. At this point, she alerted hotel staff to call the police.
Columbia Police Detective Matthew Leddy filed charges against Shackelford.
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