Man Sentenced for Slitting Pregnant Amish Woman’s Throat, Then Fatally Shooting Her

It was the victim’s husband, Andy Byler, who found the deceased body of his wife Rebekah Byler, 23, when he returned to their home on February 26, 2024. Per a police report at the time, reported by Law&Crime, Rebekah’s “throat had been cut” and she was “laying on her back in a pool of blood in the living room.”

Last month, a jury took just three hours to find Shawn Cranston, 53, guilty on one count of first-degree murder for Rebekah’s death, and an additional second-degree murder count for the death of her unborn child. He was also found guilty on one count of first-degree burglary and one count of first-degree criminal trespass.

“This defendant committed a truly evil act, and is now held fully accountable as he will spend the rest of his life behind bars without an opportunity to ever again harm another person in free society,” said Attorney General Dave Sunday in a statement released Monday.

“I commend the dedicated investigators and prosecutors for their work, and the jury that reached an appropriate verdict,” he added. “My thoughts are with the victim’s family, whose quiet strength throughout the process has been inspiring.”

One witness called throughout the trial was a prison inmate who testified that Cranston had shared with him graphic detail about the botched burglary that resulted in Rebeka’s death per Law&Crime.

According to his testimony, he didn’t expect to find her home and when he did, he “spun her around and started choking her. He said she didn’t die quick enough, so he shot her.”

In pronouncing sentence, Judge Schultz said that this was one of the worst crimes imaginable, per ABC affiliate WJET. He reiterated to Cranston that he chose to murder a pregnant woman in her home in front of her children, when he could have instead chosen to just leave.

What he did was awful, Schultz emphasized. “You deserve every second of the sentence I will now impose on you.”

In addition to the two life sentences for murder, Cranston was also sentenced to 6-20 years for burglary and 10 months to 7 years for criminal trespassing. According to WJET, Cranston did not look at the victim’s family during the sentencing, and “sat emotionless.” He did not make any statements other than to say he understood his rights.

Rebeka Byler was killed on February 26, 2024; her two children, ages 2 and 3, were home at the time of the murder, according to court documents released in March 2024. Cranston was arrested days later and charged with criminal homicide, criminal homicide of her unborn child, burglary and criminal trespassing.

She was six months pregnant at the time of her murder. Her throat had been cut and while authorities initially noted seeing “a scalping wound to her head,” an autopsy confirmed it was actually a gunshot wound.

According to Fox News Digital, a search warrant was obtained for Cranston’s home, vehicle and DNA, citing evidence recovered from crime scene which were a match for items found at his residence.

One item at Cranston’s home was a pair of Nike AirForce One sneakers, after shoe prints resembling those sneakers were at the Byers home — and none of the Byers owned a pair. The victim’s 3-year-old son also told police his mother’s killer was wearing sneakers.

Police also found a rubber glove that matched the “material, color and grip ridge pattern” to what appeared to be a piece of glove found at the murder scene — and said the tire treads of the red Jeep Patriot which Cranston was known to drive matched marks left at the Byers home.

Among the other items retrieved from the Byler home by investigators: two shotguns, a rifle, ammo and casings, as well as a broken knife blade and handle, bone-handled knife, white bonnet, empty Mountain Dew bottle, a smoked cigarette and contents from a trash can.

Surveillance footage from across the street of his home also showed a man who looks like Cranston remove items from the Jeep to a camper, before starting a fire, on the day of the murder.

Through interviews with neighbors, via Penn Live, authorities learned Cranston worked as a driver for a man, William Byler, who lived about a mile away; it’s unclear whether William and the victim’s family are related. Members of the Amish community don’t drive themselves and often hire drivers, and Cranston began working for the family after filling in for his son, who drove for them previously.

According to the docs, William shared the family had “very odd experiences” with Cranston from December 2023 through mid-February 2024 — saying he would “randomly show up at their residence,” sometimes walking “aimlessly” around the property in all black clothes and carrying a gun.

“His speech made no sense,” stated the docs, while William said he had “an uneasy feeling” about the suspect. He also allegedly asked the family where they attended church and said he wanted to go with them.

Rebekah’s husband, Andy, also told authorities that he “confronted” a “suspicious person” matching Cranston’s description — white, bald, with a beard — who showed up at the house around 10pm two weeks before the murder. The man then asked about buying their home; Andy said he believed the man was driving a red vehicle.

Other neighbors also reported seeing Cranston in the area in the weeks before the murder.