CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The Fairmont man who admitted to a 2013 quadruple homicide was sentenced to life in prison with a chance at parole after 25 years.
Sidney Arthur Muller, 29, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder Monday morning in Harrison County Circuit Court.
In July 2013, Muller said he was collecting a drug debt from Todd Amos and Christopher Hart inside a Locust Avenue home in Clarksburg, when the occupants pulled a gun on him. The Marine Corps veteran took the gun away and shot the two men dead, according to investigators.
As Muller fled the scene, he shot and killed Fred and Freddy Swiger—a father/son newspaper delivery team on their normal route.
Muller was tracked down and arrested the same day.
Judge Thomas Bedell described it as “the most difficult case…in more than 20 years on the bench.”
The judge previously delayed the decision after the pleas were initially offered as part of a plea deal between the state and Muller back in August.
Assistant prosecutor Susan Morris offered a defense for the deal—which received public criticism due to the chance at parole—saying it was the best shot at assuring Muller served time in prison.
Both sides faced a risk in going to trial, Morris said, weighing opinions of potential jurors ranging from Muller “should be buried under the jail,” to those who sympathies toward military members. Morris said her office analyzed the history of Harrison County juries in cases where parole is and is not suggested.
“The state will take the risk of the parole board,” Morris said.
Defense attorneys said they concurred “almost entirely” with the state’s claims, while Muller said nothing when given the opportunity. Families of the victims did not speak, deferring to Victim Impact Statements filed with the court.
After the pleas were accepted, the hearing transitioned to sentencing. Bedell’s ruling fell in line with what was laid out in the plea agreement.
The first-degree murder charges related to the deaths of the Swigers carried life sentences to be served concurrently. The second-degree murder charges related to the deaths of Amos and Hart carried sentences of 25 years each served concurrently and the life sentences would be served after the 25 years sentences.
Muller has the chance of parole after discharging the first 25 years, with credit for time served, before the life sentences begin, which would be sometime in 2028.
“I admit the plea agreement isn’t perfect,” Bedell said while looking toward the families of the victims, but he agreed that “it’s not an unlikely result” should the case have gone to trial.