Three Sentenced for Using Jumper Cables to Strangle Friend Who Was Overdosing

Three people who pleaded guilty to killing their overdosing friend by strangling him with jumper cables were sentenced to prison Wednesday in Pennsylvania, according to multiple reports.

Preston Layfield, Tyler Mirabelli, and Amanda Wayda all pleaded guilty in August to third-degree murder in the death of 21-year-old Joshua Rose, reports WNEP.

Police said at the time of the trio’s arrest that Rose was suffering an overdose when the trio got into a truck with him, drove him down Interstate 81 and strangled him with jumper cables before dumping his body over an embankment in a wooded area.

Before dumping Rose’s body, the trio stopped for gas, putting sunglasses and a hat on Rose so he wouldn’t be recognized, the AP reported.

“When we look at all three of the individuals, I think it’s difficult to say which one was the most culpable, but Joshua Rose did not have to die. This was a senseless act and any of them could have done something different,” said Lackawanna County Deputy District Attorney Mariclare Hayes, reports WNEP.

The outlet reports that Layfield strangled Rose while Mirabelli drove the truck, and that Wayda was Rose’s ex-girlfriend.

Joshua Rose
Joshua Rose

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WBRE reports that Layfield and Mirabelli each received a 40-year sentence, the maximum, while Wayda received 15 to 40 years.

The outlet reports that Wayda apologized in court prior to sentencing. But Rose’s mother, Mary Rose Pope, told the outlet, “I think it lacked sincerity. I know her pretty well. I treated her like a daughter.”

WBRE reports that seven of Rose’s family members spoke at sentencing, with some saying Rose’s 3-year-old son will never know his father.

PEOPLE was unable to reach attorneys for the trio, so it was not immediately clear if they planned to appeal the sentence.