Jason Sweeney
Encyclopedia
Jason Keel Sweeney was a 16-year-old teenager from Fishtown
, a neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, who was brutally murder
ed by four teenagers for his paycheck on May 30, 2003. The barbaric manner in which Sweeney was murdered, the young age of the teens involved, and the seeming indifference of the perpetrators shocked Philadelphia and garnered nationwide attention.
doing construction. He had recently met a girl he liked, Justina Morley, a 15-year-old whom he had a date with on a Friday night. Morley at the time was having sexual relations with two of the killers though, Dominic Coia and Edward Batzig Jr. Justina lured Sweeney to "the trails", a wooded area of Fishtown
near the Delaware River
, after promising him sex, where three male teenagers awaited, 16-year-old Edward Batzig Jr., Nicholas Coia, 16, and his brother Dominic, 17. Edward Batzig Jr., Sweeney's best friend since the fourth grade, took the first blow, striking Sweeney in the head 4 of 5 times. The three teenage boys pummeled Sweeney, primarily on his head and face, with a hatchet, a hammer and a rock until he was dead and then stole his $500 cash he earned from work. Sweeney's head was crushed and the only bone left undamaged was his left cheekbone. After they left the crime scene, they had a group hug, split the money and bought illegal drugs—heroin, marijuana and xanax—and then partied together.
Dominic Coia confessed in a court hearing that they were all involved in the murder of Sweeney. The police said the murder was planned days before. Part of the preparation of the murder was by listening to "Helter Skelter", a Beatles song, over forty times. This is the same song that inspired the serial killer
Charles Manson
. Joshua Stabb, 18, a friend of Dominic Coia, said that the group had bragged about their plan to kill Sweeney by using Justina Morley as "bait". Stabb also said that Batzig knew that Sweeney would have his paycheck earnings on him on the day of the murder. The prosecutor asked Stabb about the teens' demeanor after the killing. Stabb said: "They seemed pretty fine." "In a way, happy." All of the four teens were drug addicts, but they were not high before they murdered Sweeney. One of the detectives had asked Dominic Coia if they were high during the killing. Coia's response was: "No, I was as sober as I am now, It is sick, isn't it?" Batzig, the best friend, told a detective how he hit Sweeney with the hatchet face four or five times. Batzig said "Jason started begging for his life, but we just kept hitting him."
and self-mutilation in 2002. She was once admitted to Friends Hospital
for cutting her wrists, knees and thighs, taking pills and displaying a suicide poem, which she had penned, on her door. Morley told her mother she would commit suicide if she did not take her out of the hospital. Her mother took her out, going against the hospital's advice. It was also noted she was expelled from the eighth grade, which she repeated at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School instead of the public school she was attending. A psychiatrist hired by the defense team, William Russell, said the reason she began sexual activity at an early age "was an attempt at validation of self-worth". She testified that she had sex with both Nicholas Coia and Batzig in exchange for heroin just a few days before they murdered Sweeney.
, Morley could have been free of court supervision by the age of 21. The judge agreed with the District Attorney and ordered her to be tried as an adult for murder. However, Justina Morley pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in exchange for her testimony and was sentenced to 17 1/2 to 35 years in prison.
During the trial of the Coia brothers and Batzig, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in another case that defendants under the age of 18 could not be executed. Dominic, who was 14 days away from his 18th birthday at the time of the murder, was not in jeopardy of the death penalty because of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Therefore, the Coia brothers and Batzig were all facing life sentences without parole, if convicted of first-degree murder
. Dominic Coia, Nicholas Coia and Edward Batzig were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy
, robbery and possessing an instrument of crime. All were tried together as adults.
Jailhouse letters of the defendants were read during the trial to understand their behavior and to learn who was mostly culpable, if anyone. It was argued by the defense attorneys for the boys, that Morley was the manipulator and led the boys to commit the murder of Sweeney. In one of her writings to Dominic Coia, she wrote: "So you say I'm manipulative, and yes, I believe I am in ways. I'm persuasively manipulative, and I think I'm pretty good at it, too. I enjoy dragging people along." She went on to say: ". . . Tell me you don't enjoy these gullible humans. It's funny how easy it is to persuade them into lies." Expressing no remorse at all in one letter, she stated: "I am guilty. But I still don't feel guilty for anything. . . . I still enjoy my flashbacks. They give me comfort. I love them." But Morley testified that she does feel remorse for the slaying of Sweeney and that she only wrote such things so that she would be accepted by the guys. But the prosecution used Morley's letters also and implied that she was exactly what she called herself in one of her letters: "I'm a cold-blooded [expletive] death-worshiping bitch who survives by feeding off the weak and lonely. I lure them, and then I crush them." This was also written to Dominic Coia.
The defense attorneys for the boys agreed that each of the teen boys played a part in Sweeney's murder, but they tried to imply since they were all drug addicts that they did not have a real intent to kill. This was done in the hope the jury would be convinced to convict the teens of third-degree murder
instead of first-degree murder, which was what the prosecutors were seeking. But the boys' confessions which were read in court did not help. Jude Conroy, Dominic Coia's attorney, read part of his confession in court: "We just kept hitting and hitting him. . . . We took Sweeney's wallet and split up the money, and we partied beyond redemption."
Dominic Coia had told a detectives: "It was like we were all happy [with] what we did."
to no avail. The judge said: "There is a level of inhumanity that exists in these facts. This was a totally depraved act."
. He was accepted into the school but could not afford the tuition.
The TV show CSI
aired an episode, "Coming of Rage (CSI)", which appeared to be based on the Sweeney murder.
Fishtown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fishtown is a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Located immediately northeast of Center City, its borders are somewhat disputed today due to many factors, but are roughly defined by the triangle created by the Delaware River, Frankford Avenue, and York Street...
, a neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, who was brutally murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed by four teenagers for his paycheck on May 30, 2003. The barbaric manner in which Sweeney was murdered, the young age of the teens involved, and the seeming indifference of the perpetrators shocked Philadelphia and garnered nationwide attention.
Murder
Jason Sweeney worked for his father, who was a contractor in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
doing construction. He had recently met a girl he liked, Justina Morley, a 15-year-old whom he had a date with on a Friday night. Morley at the time was having sexual relations with two of the killers though, Dominic Coia and Edward Batzig Jr. Justina lured Sweeney to "the trails", a wooded area of Fishtown
Fishtown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fishtown is a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Located immediately northeast of Center City, its borders are somewhat disputed today due to many factors, but are roughly defined by the triangle created by the Delaware River, Frankford Avenue, and York Street...
near the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
, after promising him sex, where three male teenagers awaited, 16-year-old Edward Batzig Jr., Nicholas Coia, 16, and his brother Dominic, 17. Edward Batzig Jr., Sweeney's best friend since the fourth grade, took the first blow, striking Sweeney in the head 4 of 5 times. The three teenage boys pummeled Sweeney, primarily on his head and face, with a hatchet, a hammer and a rock until he was dead and then stole his $500 cash he earned from work. Sweeney's head was crushed and the only bone left undamaged was his left cheekbone. After they left the crime scene, they had a group hug, split the money and bought illegal drugs—heroin, marijuana and xanax—and then partied together.
Dominic Coia confessed in a court hearing that they were all involved in the murder of Sweeney. The police said the murder was planned days before. Part of the preparation of the murder was by listening to "Helter Skelter", a Beatles song, over forty times. This is the same song that inspired the serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
. Joshua Stabb, 18, a friend of Dominic Coia, said that the group had bragged about their plan to kill Sweeney by using Justina Morley as "bait". Stabb also said that Batzig knew that Sweeney would have his paycheck earnings on him on the day of the murder. The prosecutor asked Stabb about the teens' demeanor after the killing. Stabb said: "They seemed pretty fine." "In a way, happy." All of the four teens were drug addicts, but they were not high before they murdered Sweeney. One of the detectives had asked Dominic Coia if they were high during the killing. Coia's response was: "No, I was as sober as I am now, It is sick, isn't it?" Batzig, the best friend, told a detective how he hit Sweeney with the hatchet face four or five times. Batzig said "Jason started begging for his life, but we just kept hitting him."
Justina Morley
Justina Morley claimed that after she started smoking marijuana at the age of 10, she also started taking prescription pills and snorting cocaine. April Frederick, Morley's mother, said her daughter started cutting her wrists at the age of 10. She was also hospitalized for threatening suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
and self-mutilation in 2002. She was once admitted to Friends Hospital
Friends Hospital
Friends Hospital, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is recognized as one of the premier mental hospitals in the United States.Founded by Quakers in 1813 as "The Asylum for Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason," and later known as the "Frankford Asylum for the Insane," it was the first...
for cutting her wrists, knees and thighs, taking pills and displaying a suicide poem, which she had penned, on her door. Morley told her mother she would commit suicide if she did not take her out of the hospital. Her mother took her out, going against the hospital's advice. It was also noted she was expelled from the eighth grade, which she repeated at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School instead of the public school she was attending. A psychiatrist hired by the defense team, William Russell, said the reason she began sexual activity at an early age "was an attempt at validation of self-worth". She testified that she had sex with both Nicholas Coia and Batzig in exchange for heroin just a few days before they murdered Sweeney.
Trial
Justina Morley's attorneys explained to the judge that the girl had suffered through depression, suicide attempts and substance abuse in order to get her a juvenile court trial. Psychiatrist William Russell explained to the court how Morley attempted suicide twice by overdosing on pills only the year before the killing. Morley's attorney argued she was the least culpable and if tried as a juvenile, she could get treatment and live a productive life. The Assistant District Attorney argued that Morley was an important part of the plot in Sweeney's murder and she had treatment before, to no avail. If tried in a juvenile courtJuvenile court
A juvenile court is a tribunal having special authority to try and pass judgments for crimes committed by children or adolescents who have not attained the age of majority...
, Morley could have been free of court supervision by the age of 21. The judge agreed with the District Attorney and ordered her to be tried as an adult for murder. However, Justina Morley pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in exchange for her testimony and was sentenced to 17 1/2 to 35 years in prison.
During the trial of the Coia brothers and Batzig, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in another case that defendants under the age of 18 could not be executed. Dominic, who was 14 days away from his 18th birthday at the time of the murder, was not in jeopardy of the death penalty because of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Therefore, the Coia brothers and Batzig were all facing life sentences without parole, if convicted of first-degree murder
Murder (United States law)
In the United States, the principle of dual sovereignty applies to homicide, as to other crimes. If murder is committed within the borders of a state, that state has jurisdiction. Similarly, if the crime is committed in the District of Columbia, the D.C Superior Court retains jurisdiction,...
. Dominic Coia, Nicholas Coia and Edward Batzig were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
, robbery and possessing an instrument of crime. All were tried together as adults.
Jailhouse letters of the defendants were read during the trial to understand their behavior and to learn who was mostly culpable, if anyone. It was argued by the defense attorneys for the boys, that Morley was the manipulator and led the boys to commit the murder of Sweeney. In one of her writings to Dominic Coia, she wrote: "So you say I'm manipulative, and yes, I believe I am in ways. I'm persuasively manipulative, and I think I'm pretty good at it, too. I enjoy dragging people along." She went on to say: ". . . Tell me you don't enjoy these gullible humans. It's funny how easy it is to persuade them into lies." Expressing no remorse at all in one letter, she stated: "I am guilty. But I still don't feel guilty for anything. . . . I still enjoy my flashbacks. They give me comfort. I love them." But Morley testified that she does feel remorse for the slaying of Sweeney and that she only wrote such things so that she would be accepted by the guys. But the prosecution used Morley's letters also and implied that she was exactly what she called herself in one of her letters: "I'm a cold-blooded [expletive] death-worshiping bitch who survives by feeding off the weak and lonely. I lure them, and then I crush them." This was also written to Dominic Coia.
The defense attorneys for the boys agreed that each of the teen boys played a part in Sweeney's murder, but they tried to imply since they were all drug addicts that they did not have a real intent to kill. This was done in the hope the jury would be convinced to convict the teens of third-degree murder
Murder (United States law)
In the United States, the principle of dual sovereignty applies to homicide, as to other crimes. If murder is committed within the borders of a state, that state has jurisdiction. Similarly, if the crime is committed in the District of Columbia, the D.C Superior Court retains jurisdiction,...
instead of first-degree murder, which was what the prosecutors were seeking. But the boys' confessions which were read in court did not help. Jude Conroy, Dominic Coia's attorney, read part of his confession in court: "We just kept hitting and hitting him. . . . We took Sweeney's wallet and split up the money, and we partied beyond redemption."
Dominic Coia had told a detectives: "It was like we were all happy [with] what we did."
Verdict and sentencing
The Coia brothers and Batzig Jr. were convicted for murder, conspiracy, robbery and possession of an instrument of crime. In May 2005, the three juveniles were sentenced to life in prison without parole for murder, plus 22 1/2 to 24 years for conspiracy, robbery and possessing an instrument of crime. None of the teens showed any remorse for the murder. Paul Sweeney, the victim's father, addressed Dominic Coia and told him to look at him "with your evil eyes". Dominic Coia responded: "I never thought I had evil eyes, but I guess I do. And I'm cool." One of the defense attorneys argued with the judge to try to get the boys a sentence with paroleParole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
to no avail. The judge said: "There is a level of inhumanity that exists in these facts. This was a totally depraved act."
Aftermath
Paul and Dawn Sweeney, Jason Sweeney's parents, set up the Jason Keel Sweeney Foundation, in memory of their son, to fund a full scholarship for the Valley Forge Military School, the school of their son's dreams. Jason Sweeney had wanted to attend the military school to become a Navy SEALUnited States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
. He was accepted into the school but could not afford the tuition.
The TV show CSI
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
aired an episode, "Coming of Rage (CSI)", which appeared to be based on the Sweeney murder.