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Husband waives hearing on charges he killed wife

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Selenski challenges his defense lawyers during appellate hearing

WILKES-BARRE — With a stroke of a pen, a convicted child rapist will get out of prison about nine months earlier than expected.

Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Vough on Friday awarded Victor J. Keller Jr. 285 days credit for time served on a two-to-seven year sentence imposed March 28, 2018, on a probation violation.

Vough acknowledged the credit for time served corrected an error when Keller was sentenced on the probation violation. Another correction made on Keller’s case was the type of charge he pleaded guilty to in 2008.

Vough directed the Clerk of Courts to reflect Keller pleaded guilty to witness intimidation, and not retaliation against a witness as was recorded on Dec. 18, 2008, during his guilty plea proceeding before then-judge Michael Conahan.

Keller, 52, formerly of Sans Souci Trailer Park, Hanover Township, was arrested by township police in January 2007 on charges he repeatedly raped a then 13-year-old girl.

While Keller was jailed at the county correctional facility in April 2007, investigators learned of a plot where Keller recruited an inmate to kill the girl to make the child rape charges go away. He was initially charged with soliciting to commit criminal homicide, which prosecutors modified to intimidation of a witness, despite being wrongly recorded as retaliation against a witness.

Keller pleaded guilty to rape of a child and witness intimidation and was sentenced by Conahan to five-to-10 years in state prison followed by seven years probation in December 2008.

Records from the state Department of Corrections say Keller completed his sentence Jan. 19, 2017 and was released.

Keller violated probation when he admitted to state parole agents he entered an adult bookstore, viewed pornographic videos and solicited prostitutes, court records say.

Due to the violations, Keller was sentenced March 28, 2018, by Vough to two-to-seven years in prison.

On Friday, he was given credit for 285 days time served on the probation violation sentence.

The state Superior Court upheld Keller’s violation sentence on Feb. 26, 2020.

Attorney Leonard Michael Gryskewicz Jr. represented Keller on the appeal.

Prison sentence corrected for convicted child rapist