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A 23-year-old former babysitter, Steven Procopio, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday, December 9, 2022, for the triple murders in 2018. Procopio was given the sentence for the murders of 31-year-olds Lawrence Cannon and Nichole Pumphrey, and the latter's 10-year-old daughter Amariah Emery.
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of the murder of a young girl which may be triggering to certain readers. Discretion is advised.
According to CBS, at the time of the murders, Steven Procopio worked as the babysitter for Nichole, who had five children. On the night of October 18, 2018, Steven and 31-year-old Anthony Cooper attempted to rob the Pumphrey residence.
However, when Steven and Anthony entered the home, they found Nichole and Larence sitting on the living room couch. It was reported that the two suspects allegedly shot the couple before Procopio supposedly shot Amariah, who was descending the stairs.
According to True Crime Daily, on October 27, 2022, Steven Procopio was found guilty of 2 counts of second-degree murder and one count of third-degree murder. Over a month later, on December 9, he received two life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Oxygen reported that in January, the other accused, Anthony Cooper, had pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree murder. Prosecutors stated that they dropped the third murder charge against him in exchange for his testimony against Procopio. Cooper was sentenced to 15-30 years in prison.
The court comments on the allegations against Steven Procopio
Law&Crime reported that during his initial interview with Pennsylvania authorities, Steven Procopio told investigators that he was present at the scene of the crime. However, he stated that it was Anthony Cooper who perpetrated the fatal shootings.
Investigators, meanwhile, told local outlets that they later deemed the information to be untrue due to witness statements.
As per Lawrence County District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa, prosecutors were willing to make a deal with Cooper but they believed Procopio played a more active role in the killings.
Lamancusa told Oxygen News that they weren't willing to offer Steven Procopio immunity or any kind of deal due to his alleged involvement in the killing of the young girl.
In a victim impact statement, Nichole's sister, Lisa Pumphrey, condemned Procopio's actions.
She said that she couldn't imagine the last thought the killer had before he killed Amariah, who was holding her younger sister. Calling Amariah a "beautiful little girl," Lisa said that she went from choosing baby clothes for Amariah to picking a burial plot of her. She added:
“She was my first niece, the first child of my sister.”
She also claimed that Procopio was lying about his role in the actions, as he reportedly continued to state that he was not the shooter in the triple homicide.
Lisa Pumphrey said that it had been four years since he made the choice to kill the three people and that he continued to lie about the murders and his role in them. She added:
“You will never know how much you have traumatized this family. I hope God makes you pay for your sins.”
CBS reported that Procopio had babysat Pumphrey's children on the day of the killing.
