Mercersburg, PA News (7/25/2024) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced on July 17, 2024, that Christopher Van Johnson, 36, of Baltimore, Maryland, has been sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences. This sentencing stems from his involvement in the brutal murders of three individuals in Mercersburg on June 25, 2016, one of whom was a Hagerstown resident.
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United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner handed down the life sentences to Johnson, along with concurrent 10, 20, and 30-year terms for related robbery, firearms, and conspiracy charges. The sentencing marks the culmination of a seven-year investigation into the heinous crime that shocked the community.
On June 25, 2016, Pennsylvania State Police responded to a call from a property along Welsh Run Road in Mercersburg. They discovered the bodies of Wendy Ann Chaney, 39, of Hagerstown, Maryland; Brandon Cole, 47, of Fayetteville, Pennsylvania; and Phillip Matthew Jackson, 36, of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, in a barn on Jackson’s property. The victims were bound with zip-ties, shot, and their bodies set on fire. Jackson was transported to York Hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.
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The investigation revealed that Wendy Chaney had been involved in a relationship with co-defendants Kevin Coles and Torey White and had previously assisted them in their drug distribution operations. When it became known that Chaney was cooperating with federal authorities, a plot was hatched by co-defendant Kenyatta Corbett, also a heroin trafficker, along with Coles, White, and Devin Dickerson, to murder her. Corbett, along with Jerell Adgebesan, recruited Johnson, a member of the Baltimore-based Black Guerilla Family gang, to carry out the killings.
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The perpetrators were promised $20,000, allegedly kept in a safe in the barn, along with any drugs and firearms they could find. When they arrived at the property, they encountered Chaney, Cole, and Jackson. Chaney and Cole were shot execution-style and their bodies set on fire. Jackson, who attempted to confront the attackers, was shot and also set on fire, though he was still alive when the police arrived.
Several individuals have been charged in connection with the investigation, highlighting the extensive network involved in the crime. Among those charged are:
- Devin Dickerson, 31, Hagerstown, sentenced to 30 years for conspiracy to distribute heroin and crack cocaine.
- Torey White, 32, Waynesboro, PA, convicted of three counts of first-degree murder, currently appealing.
- Michael Buck, 30, Hagerstown, awaiting sentencing for Hobbs Act robbery and firearm charges.
- Nicholas Preddy, 29, Baltimore, sentenced to 30 years for attempting to kill a witness.
- Johnnie Jenkins-Armstrong, 22, Baltimore, sentenced to life for Hobbs Act robbery and firearm charges.
- Terrance Lawson, 31, Baltimore, and Tyrone Armstrong, 30, Baltimore, both sentenced to time served for witness intimidation.
- Kenyatta Corbett, 41, Hagerstown and Baltimore, sentenced to life for Hobbs Act robbery and firearm charges.
- Mark Johnson, 35, Baltimore, sentenced to 110 months for obstructing the grand jury investigation.
- Llesenia Woodard, 46, Hagerstown, awaiting sentencing for providing false testimony.
- Kevin Coles, 36, New York and Hagerstown, sentenced to multiple consecutive life sentences for murder for hire, robbery, and drug trafficking.
- Yolanda Diaz, 31, Hagerstown, awaiting sentencing for perjury and obstruction of justice.
- Joshua Davis, 30, sentenced to 100 months for participating in the conspiracy.
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This extensive investigation involved multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, highlighting the collaborative effort to bring those responsible to justice. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods and the Heroin Initiative, targeting violent crime and drug trafficking in the region.
Assistant United States Attorney William A. Behe and Senior Litigation Counsel Michael Consiglio prosecuted the case, emphasizing the commitment to reducing violent crime and making communities safer through coordinated law enforcement efforts.
Story by multiple RFHC contributors.
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