Dandridge Gets Three Life Sentences

Ray Joseph Dandridge changed his plea to guilty on three counts of capital murder on Tuesday, receiving three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Dandridge, 29, had previously pleaded not guilty to three counts of capital murder in connection with the Jan. 6 deaths of Percyell Tucker , 57; Mary Baskerville-Tucker , 47, and Ashley Baskerville , 21. The third count of capital murder was amended Tuesday to include Dandridge's role in the Jan. 1 murders of the Harvey family - Bryan , 49; Kathryn , 39; Stella , 9, and Ruby , 4.

The change in Dandridge's plea was announced around 4 p.m. Tuesday, following a court recess of more than three hours and prior to the delivery of closing statements.

Dandridge, once again wearing a blue Oxford shirt and dress slacks in court, showed no emotion when the sentence was meted out by Circuit Judge Richard D. Taylor Jr . Before being escorted from the courtroom, Dandridge shook hands briefly with David Lassiter of the defense counsel, and looked back to the seating area. A Look Back…



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Jury selection began Wednesday in the case against Ray Dandrige, who is charged with three counts of capital murder in connection with the Tucker-Baskerville murders. Prosecution: Victims Suffocated

In the first day of the Ray Dandridge capital murder trial, the jury hears the defendant's confession to a Philadelphia detective. After the trial, Commonwealth's Attorney Michael Herring said he had "mixed emotions" about the case and would have preferred a sentence of death.

"Do I feel good about the outcome? No," he said. "[But] it was the smart thing, the right thing to do."

Herring contended that he was partly satisfied because Dandridge took responsibility for the killings.

The plea agreement was discussed with the victims' family, Herring said, with only some agreeing with the decision to plea bargain.

One family member said afterward that she was very unhappy with the decision. Daisy Adams , 55, the sister of Mary Baskerville-Tucker, said she was shocked by the sudden turn in the trial and believed Dandridge should have received the death penalty. The tearful Adams said Dandridge showed no remorse for the killings.

Before the sentencing was announced, Herring read to the court -with the jury now dismissed - a summary of events regarding the Harvey murders, which the Commonwealth took from a Dandridge confession. The summary stated that Dandridge facilitated in the binding of Kathryn, Stella and Ruby Harvey, and spent time cutting the throat of Bryan Harvey, while accomplice Ricky Gray cut the throats of the three females. Also, Dandridge had at one point handed Gray a hammer, which he used to bludgeon the four victims.

Dandridge agreed that Herring's summary was a fair representation; thus, the court accepted it as factual basis for his role in the murder of the Harvey family. Last month, a jury sentenced Gray to death, along with life sentences without the possibility of parole, for his role in the Harvey murders. Cary Bowen , a member of the defense counsel, suggested after the trial that the Commonwealth's evidence was not as strong as the prosecution team might have originally thought. Asked if the possibility of a capital punishment sentence influenced Dandridge's decision to enter into a plea agreement, Bowen said, "It was something to be concerned about."

Herring said a number of factors in the Dandridge case, as opposed to that of Gray's, would have made it difficult to obtain a death sentence. With the Tucker-Baskerville murders, there was the absence of child victims, as well as some ambiguity as to Dandridge's role, Herring said.

Herring also said certain aspects of Dandridge's confession to Detective Howard Peterman of the Philadelphia Police Department were untrue. In the confession, Dandridge said he cut the throat of Ashley Baskerville. However, the state medical examiner testified Tuesday that Baskerville did not suffer any knife or stab wounds.

In announcing the indictments in February, Herring said the Commonwealth decided to try the two men separately because it would make the process more efficient, and not constrain the way in which the prosecution presented evidence.

Though Dandridge changed his plea, the court adopted the evidence presented by the Commonwealth during the trial. Dandridge also waived his right to have a court review the evidence for errors in the future.