Levittown Man Convicted in Murder of Aunt: DA

A Bucks County man was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder in the January strangulation killing of his aunt, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office announced.

Jeffery Allen Stafford, 40, strangled 61-year-old Alisa Wilson on January 5 in the Pennsbury Woods Apartment where she lived, the DA said. After killing her he took her belongings and pawned them at a local shop so that he could buy heroin, authorities said.

While pawning her jewelry, he told a friend what he had done to his aunt. His friend recorded the conversations and notified police, according to the DA.

Stafford's defense claimed that he was high on LSD during the incident and thus was unable to formulate an "intent to kill." The DA argued that Stafford had applied intense pressure on his aunt's neck for four minutes, actions which showed clear intent.

“Alisa Wilson gave and gave and gave until there was nothing left to give him but her life, which he took,” Deputy District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said.

Sentencing will take place on Friday. Stafford faces mandatory life in prison without parole, the DA said.

Image via Bucks County District Attorney's Office.