Pa. man convicted of role in deaths of 3 people who were zip-tied, shot execution-style, and burned

HARRISBURG, Pa. (TCD) -- A 32-year-old man was convicted of fatally shooting three people and setting their bodies on fire several years ago following a weekslong trial.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced Friday, May 19, that Torey White was found guilty of three counts of murder in federal court for the 2016 deaths of 39-year-old Wendy Ann Chaney, 47-year-old Brandon Cole, and 36-year-old Phillip Matthew Jackson. Chaney was reportedly a federal informant.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Chaney reportedly dated both White and one of the several other co-conspirators in a criminal case and helped them distribute drugs. White and Kevin Coles, who was sentenced to three life terms in prison in March, reportedly learned Chaney was working with federal officials and hired someone to kill her.

Two other co-defendants, Jerell Adgebesan and Kenyatta Corbett, reportedly hired members of a Baltimore’s Black Guerilla Family gang to carry out the hit. The hit men were reportedly told they could take $20,000 that was hidden in a safe after the shooting.

When the hit men got to Jackson’s property to carry out the killing, they reportedly found the three victims and not just Chaney. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Chaney "was killed to protect the drug trafficking activities of Coles, and his co-conspirators," while Cole and Jackson "were murdered to prevent them from being witnesses to the crimes of violence that were committed at the Jackson property."

The statement says Chaney, Cole, and Jackson were zip-tied with their hands behind their backs and shot. Jackson and Cole were shot once in the head while Chaney sustained a gunshot wound to the back and another in her neck. Cole and Chaney died at the scene, but Jackson was transported to a nearby hospital and died.

The shooters reportedly never found money, but they stole firearms and drugs.

Adgebesan pleaded guilty in 2022 to Hobbs Act robbery and being an accomplice to the use of a firearm and was sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years. Corbett also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

Several other co-conspirators in the case pleaded guilty to various charges. White reportedly faces three mandatory life sentences in federal prison.

MORE:

• Waynesboro Man Found Guilty Of Murder Of Three Individuals - U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• Three Consecutive Life Sentences For Man Who Participated In The Murder Of Three People Including A Federal Witness, 3/20/2023 - U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania