Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
Woman Who Murdered Husband On Valentine's Day And Said He 'Got What He Deserved' Gets Life
Prosecutors say Danielle Bewley "lured" her husband to a PNC Bank parking lot before shooting him five times in the torso.
A Pennsylvania woman accused of luring her estranged husband and killing him on Valentine’s Day two years ago will spend the rest of her life behind bars.
Danielle Bewley, 30, was convicted in December of the first-degree murder of her husband, Mitchell Bewley, 27, who was shot to death on Feb. 14, 2021. On Tuesday, Lancaster County Judge Merrill Spahn sentenced the Quarryville woman to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
“The decisions you made left nothing but loss, heartache, and despair,” Spahn said at the sentencing.
According to several local news outlets, the couple was estranged.
On the day of the murder, local police responded to reports of an injured male at a PNC Bank parking lot in Strasburg — about 30 miles west of Philadelphia — at around 5:30 pm. The victim was pronounced dead on the scene, having sustained five gunshot wounds to the torso, any of which the county coroner testified could have been fatal.
Witnesses reported hearing one gunshot, followed by a rapid succession of gunfire.
That evening, authorities arrested Danielle at her Quarryville home following an hours-long standoff, according to officials. The Pennsylvania State Police’s Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) was called in to assist.
During the murder trial, witnesses claimed Danielle made previous threats against her husband’s life. One friend testified the defendant went to their house to retrieve the murder weapon, which was supported by Ring doorbell video, according to prosecutors.
Shortly before the shooting, Danielle also allegedly showed the gun to a friend during a FaceTime call.
The defendant made “multiple calls” to friends and relatives after the homicide, which included a statement in which Danielle allegedly claimed, “He got what he deserved,” according to the district attorney’s office.
One of the calls Danielle placed was to an ex-boyfriend, who claimed Danielle admitted that she “put four bullets in her husband and was on her way home to put one more in her head,” according to court records obtained by NBC Lancaster affiliate WGAL.
During the standoff, Danielle reportedly called her sister, who told authorities Danielle wanted to take her own life “because she will not live in prison,” according to Fox York affiliate WPMT.
Danielle’s defense cited their client’s “mental health and prior victimization” when seeking to have charges amended to third-degree murder, according to the district attorney’s office. The defense claimed she killed her husband in self-defense, which prosecutors challenged.
Assistant District Attorney Christine Wilson argued that had Danielle feared for her life, she made no indication because she never reported being fearful to acquaintances or police.
“She could not reasonably believe she was in threat of serious bodily injury death when she lured [the victim] to the PNC Bank to kill him,” said Wilson. “There’s no mistaken belief that her life was in danger. It’s premeditated, first-degree murder.”
Wilson said the defendant “had it all planned out” and was “lying in wait” for the victim to arrive.
Danielle was found guilty in December following a five-day bench trial.
Mitchell’s father made a statement at sentencing and expressed forgiveness toward the defendant, according to the district attorney’s office.
