CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — A Fairmont man has pleaded guilty to four counts of murder related to a 2013 quadruple homicide in Harrison County, but it will be October before it is known if the court will accept those pleas.
The trial of Sidney Arthur Muller, 29, was set to begin Monday morning, but instead, he entered guilty pleas to two counts of first degree murder and two counts of second degree murder –which had been negotiated down from first degree murder as part of a deal with the state.
Harrison County Circuit Judge Thomas Bedell did not accept the pleas, but did not reject them either. He said he wanted to look over the findings of a presentencing investigation to be conducted by October 1 so the court could “do its homework” in order to make an informed decision.
In July of 2013, Muller was arguing in a home on Locust Ave. in Clarksburg with Todd Amos and Christopher Hart over a drug debt when Muller says a gun was pulled on him. The Marine Corp veteran took the gun away and shot the two men, killing them.
As Muller attempted to flee the scene, he shot Fred and Freddy Swiger — a father and son team of newspaper deliverymen on their normal route– outside of the home.
He was arrested in Marion County on the same day and then later indicted by a Harrison County grand jury on four counts of first degree murder in January of 2014.
The trial was delayed several times and jury selection Monday was pushed back reportedly when Bedell heard word of the plea negotiations.
Should the pleas be accepted, the second degree murder charges related to the deaths of Amos and Hart would carry a sentence of 25 years each, but would be served concurrently. The first degree murder charges related to the deaths of the Swigers would each carry a life sentence, but would be served concurrently.
The sentence for the second degree murder charges and the sentence for the first degree murder charges would be served consecutively, with Muller potentially having a chance at parole after discharging the 25 years from the second degree charges –which would be sometime in 2028– before the life sentences begin.
Judge Bedell made a point to tell Muller that parole, though a possibility, is by no means a guarantee and should he not agree to that stipulation in the agreement, Muller could withdraw his pleas and the case would be brought to trial.
Families of Amos and Hart were in agreement with the deal, according to Assistant Prosecutor Susan Morris, but the ex-wife of Fred Swiger, who is Freddy Swiger’s mother, was unsure of her stance to the state’s knowledge at the time.
Should the pleas be rejected outright by the judge, Muller has the option to withdraw them and take the case before a jury.
An acceptance hearing was scheduled for 10 a.m. on October 26. Should the pleas be accepted, the hearing will immediately lead into sentencing.