Botched burglary foils thieves

TREVOR MURDTER

BY STACI WILSON

The apprehension of a woman involved in a botched burglary on June 2, 2010 in New York State helped Pennsylvania State Police identify three people believed to be involved in a number of jewelry thefts from area homes.

One of the codefendants, Trevor Scott Murdter, 36, Factoryville, pleaded guilty to a felony count of receiving stolen property Friday in Susquehanna County Court for his role in an April 28, 2010 burglary in Harford Twp.

More than $25,000 worth of jewelry was reportedly stolen from Barbara Day’s residence.

Murdter admitted in court that he had sold the stolen jewelry.

He faces up to seven years in prison for the offense.

 Murdter was on probation at the time the jewelry was taken from the Day residence. President Judge Kenneth Seamans told Murdter that he could receive more jail time due to the probation violation.

According to the plea agreement, Murdter will serve his time in a county correctional facility. Sentencing was scheduled for March 24.

District Attorney Jason Legg said Murdter, along with Jason and Rebecca Fay, were involved in a number of jewelry thefts in the area.

“I cannot say how many homes were broken into,” Legg said. But the district attorney said police had recovered a substantial amount of jewelry taken from New York and New Jersey, as well as Pennsylvania.

During the course of the investigation, according to the affidavit, area jewelry stores and cash for gold locations were checked by police for sales from Fay and any other people.

Day identified a number items pictured in photographs provided by one store as being hers, said police. The items were sold to the store by Murdter and Rebecca Fay the same day as the burglary at the Day residence.

Rebecca Fay was apprehended by police in New York State after victims of the June 2010 burglary in Conklin, N.Y., arrived home to find an unfamiliar, gray BMW parked in the driveway and a man, believed by police to be Jason Fay, 36, Throop, exiting the residence.

Rebecca Fay was observed crawling out of an upstairs window. The homeowner followed the woman, jumped out the window in pursuit, caught her in the yard and detained her until police arrived.

According to the police affidavit, Jason Fay fled the scene and headed south on Rt. 29, toward Liberty Twp.

Fay has not yet been apprehended by police.

The victims reported knives, jewelry, money and coins were missing from the residence.

New York State Police advised PSP, Gibson that a man was fleeing the scene of a burglary in the direction of Susquehanna County.

Police attempted to pursue the BMW but it was traveling at a high rate of speed and was last observed heading south on Rt. 92.

The vehicle was later found by police parked on Keyser Ave., Scranton, towed to the Dunmore police barracks and searched. Numerous jewelry items were recovered in the vehicle.

Rebecca Fay was interviewed by police at Gibson on June 11, 2010.

According to the affidavit, she told police that she had been involved in numerous burglaries with Jason Fay.

She also told police that she would turn in the jewelry for Fay at cash for gold and jewelry stores.

According to police, Rebecca Fay also said that Jason Fay and Murdter had told her they had broken into a Harford home and had gotten a lot of jewelry from it.

She also told police that Fay and Murdter were friends and both were involved in the burglaries.

The investigation into other area burglaries has not yet been completed and, to date, no additional charges have been leveled against Murdter in connection to any other thefts in Susquehanna County.

Felony burglary and theft charges are also pending against Murdter and Fay in Lackawanna County.

Charges were also filed in Susquehanna County against Fay in connection with a May 3 burglary in Herrick Twp.