HARRISBURG, PA — John Veltre, a man convicted of a brutal crime spree over 50 years ago, will not receive relief from his life without parole sentence following a Westmoreland County Court decision on June 27. The court resentenced Veltre to life without the possibility of parole after reconsideration mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding juvenile mandatory life sentences.
Veltre, now 69, was 16 years old when he entered a young mother’s apartment in 1973, where he viciously attacked the woman and killed her two young daughters. The children, aged two years and under one year, were murdered by blunt force trauma after Veltre raped and assaulted their mother, leaving her for dead. Despite her severe injuries, the woman survived through her determination.
The resentencing hearing followed Supreme Court rulings that require mandatory life terms for juveniles to be reviewed. During the proceedings, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General argued against granting Veltre early parole, citing the chilling nature of his crimes and his lack of full accountability.
“I am an advocate for second chances when they are appropriate — however, some crimes are just too heinous and harmful to the community to warrant relief,” said Attorney General Dave Sunday. “The nation’s highest court has ruled that juveniles sentenced to mandatory life in prison terms be reviewed and reconsidered. That review was done in this case, and we are thankful the re-sentencing court agreed with our assessment that John Veltre remains a threat to free society.”
Sunday emphasized the gravity of Veltre’s actions, calling them unparalleled in their brutality. “I cannot fathom acts more violent and vicious than what took place here,” he said. “A baby and toddler were brutally murdered and a mother raped and beaten, only surviving due to her own determination and strength, not because of any mercy shown by a callous killer who left her to die with her children.”
Veltre, originally sentenced to two life terms, was eligible for resentencing due to his age at the time of the crime. However, after considering the arguments from Senior Deputy Attorney General Alicia Werner and other representatives of the Office of Attorney General, the court determined that Veltre’s sentence would remain unchanged.
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