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12/22/2024 08:10:30 am

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Man Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Killing 2 Sisters of Iowa Lawmaker

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(Photo : Reuters) A man found guilty of murdering the sisters of Democratic Iowa State Representative Mary Wolfe has been sentenced to life in prison.

A Pittsburgh man, convicted of killing two sisters of an Iowa lawmaker in his neighborhood, has been sentenced to life in prison.

An Allegheny County judge said in a statement that the jurors deadlocked as to whether the man, identified 45-year-old Allen Wade, should be sentenced to life in prison or should be punished with the death penalty. The deadlocked status was formalized in writing on Thursday. As per Pennsylvania law, a jury must unanimously recommend a death penalty. If not, a life sentence is automatically imposed.

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Last week, Wade was convicted of shooting and killing 38-year-old Sarah Wolfe and 44-year-old Susan Wolfe. He reportedly killed them after they arrived home from work to find him burglarizing their home in February 2014. The two victims were the sisters of Democratic Iowa State Representative Mary Wolfe.

Judge Edward Borkowski imposed two consecutive life terms and 30 to 60 years in prison due to the robbery and burglary counts.

Wade reportedly shot the two women in the head after approaching them as they returned home separately. Wade stole a bank card that he used to make two withdraws of $600 from an automatic teller machine hours after the killings took place. The money he stole is said to be what he needed to pay his rent to avoid eviction from the home he was staying at during that time.

According to the testimonies of witnesses during the trial, Wade is an absentee father and maintained a close relationship with his grandmother, who died back in 2000. The witnesses also said that he suffered from depression and had a head injury in the weeks leading up to the killings.

Wade's lawyers have not yet commented on the sentencing. 

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