Bensalem Man Robbed Elderly Couple At Gunpoint, Jury Decides

A Bensalem man who ambushed and pistol-whipped an elderly man before robbing him and his wife at gunpoint in their Bristol Township home was convicted of multiple felonies Wednesday, the Bucks County District Attorney said.

William Cottrell, 30, of Bensalem, was found guilty of first-degree felony burglary, two counts each of first- and second-degree felony robbery, one count of aggravated assault and one count of simple assault.

The verdict was returned by a jury at the end of the three-day trial.

According to authorities, in June 2012, Cottrell "accosted" 70-year-old Fox McClure as he returned home at approximately 2 a.m. He forced Mr. McClure into the house, struck him twice in the head with the butt of a handgun, and robbed him of about $200, information from the District Attorney's office said.

Wearing a dark cap, a hooded sweatshirt and a black bandana over his face, he forced McClure into a bedroom, where he demanded that his 65-year-old wife, who was in her nightgown a the time, remove money from a safe.

"Mrs. McClure, dressed in a nightgown, gave Cottrell a bag of old, valuable coins from the safe. Cottrell then pointed his semi-automatic handgun at her face and demanded more money," according to the District Attorney's office. McClure told him there was no more money and Cottrell fled on foot.

The couple notified police.

A subsequent investigation led authorities to Cottrell, who has prior convictions on felony drug charges.

Sentencing was deferred to allow for a pre-sentence investigation.