Head lice delays hearing for 6 charged in Greensburg woman's death

A hearing for six people charged with torturing and killing a mentally disabled woman has been postponed because they have head lice and are being quarantined in the Westmoreland County Prison, where they were already on suicide watch.

The outbreak of head lice was the latest challenge the defendants posed for guards who are tasked with keeping them safe. The prison opted to put them on suicide watch almost immediately after booking them because of their high-profile status.

Ricky Smyrnes, 23, Robert Masters Jr., 36, Melvin Knight, 20, Peggy Miller, 27, Amber Meidinger, 20 and Angela Marinucci, 17, were due to appear this morning before District Judge James Albert. But that preliminary hearing was pushed back to March 4 due to the lice, according to the judge's office.

Citing privacy concerns, Warden John R. Walton would not confirm the lice, but said the six are "in a contagious state." They are being held in individual cells that they leave only to shower each day.

Guards look in on them every 15 minutes to make sure they don't try to kill themselves, chronicling their slightest movements in a "suicide log."

They have no contact with each other and are kept out of the jail's general population, mostly for their own safety, Mr. Walton said.

"We'll have to be on our toes to make sure these guys don't get assaulted," he said. "Down the road, these six people will be very troublesome for me."

Each is charged with homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault and conspiracy in the slaying of 30-year-old Jennifer Daugherty, a crime that drew outrage as it captured headlines last week.

Police say the six held her captive, beat her with household objects, fed her urine, oil and spices, painted her face with nail polish and forced her to write a fake suicide note before stabbing her to death and stashing her body in a neighbor's garbage can.

The county jail has seen its share of infamous criminals, Mr. Walton said, but never so many charged in the same unusual crime.

"It's a big-time case, and we weren't familiar with too many of them," he said. "In those cases, we rely on the fact that we would rather be safe than sorry."

Suicide watch entitles them each to little more than a pair of shorts and a "suicide blanket," which closes with Velcro "almost like a straitjacket," Mr. Walton said.

They take their meals alone in their 8-foot-by-8-foot cells and see minimal recreation time.

The jail's psychiatrist, Pete Savedra, likely will speak with each of them today to determine whether they should remain on suicide watch.

At some point, the six will likely have contact with other inmates, which could cause problems, Mr. Walton said. It's up to guards to make sure they can safely walk the halls.

The six are already well-known behind bars because inmates read the news, Mr. Walton said.

"Even the inmates have a code of conduct, where they think things aren't very kosher," Mr. Walton said.

Police have not said what roles they believe each person played in Ms. Daugherty's slaying, but jail officials wanted to keep them apart from each other because "they're all involved, and who knows what is going to happen once things really come out," Mr. Walton said.

An attorney for Mr. Smyrnes, Scott Avolio, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Judge Albert's office did not know who representing the other defendants.

First published on February 18, 2010 at 12:00 am