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The hardest part of freshman year in college? Survival.

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Man burned by caustic beer at casino is awarded $750,000 by jury

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Jurors decided Friday that Melissa Ann Scholl was not making a desperate cry for help &#8212; she was trying to kill her son and daughter.</p><p>The Wilkes-Barre Township mother was found guilty of two counts of attempted homicide for trying to asphyxiate her two young children and now faces a lengthy prison term.</p><p>Police say Scholl, 34, ran a hose from the exhaust of her car to the inside of the vehicle while it was parked in the Williams Bus Line lot along Blackman Street in December 2015.</p><p>According to Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis, Scholl is facing 13 to 26 years in prison.</p><p>The verdict came after about three hours of deliberations from the jury. That was a marked difference from Scholl&#8217;s previous trial in June, which was declared a mistrial after seven hours of deliberations.</p><p>Closing arguments from both sides wrapped up around 11:30 a.m. Friday. Defense attorney Larry Kansky reaffirmed his argument that Scholl was not attempting to kill her children, but was rather just crying out for help, specifically from her mother Angelita Stanton, who testified that she normally parked in the Williams Bus Line lot when visiting Scholl and would have seen her there.</p><p>&#8220;Maybe she didn&#8217;t pick the best way (to cry for help),&#8221; Kansky said in his closing arguments. &#8220;But so what? Who among us is perfect?&#8221;</p><p>Kansky also argued the evidence from the prosecution was lacking, including the <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/606913/evidence-in-mothers-attempted-homicide-case-missing-attorney-says" target="_blank">destruction </a>of Scholl&#8217;s vehicle by the towing company, Act Truck and Trailer in Wilkes-Barre. Kansky said that, without important evidence like this, it would be impossible to convict Scholl beyond a reasonable doubt.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s like taking a puzzle with 20 pieces, and you only have three, and you have to reach a conclusion about what it looks like,&#8221; Kansky said.</p><p>First Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce jumped on the metaphor of the puzzle in his closing argument, saying it was not the prosecution&#8217;s responsibility to give the jurors all of the pieces, just enough to see the whole picture.</p><p><strong>&#8216;Gruesome discovery&#8217;</strong></p><p>Sanguedolce argued Scholl&#8217;s actions could not have been a cry for help, as texts from Stanton to Scholl suggest Stanton did not know where she was after Scholl threatened suicide via text message.</p><p>&#8220;If it&#8217;s a cry for help, you tell people where you are,&#8221; Sanguedolce said.</p><p>Instead, Sanguedolce said Scholl intended for a &#8220;big, dramatic, gruesome discovery to be made.&#8221;</p><p>The jury twice asked questions of the judge during deliberations, both times asking for clarification on what needs to be proven to necessitate an attempted murder conviction.</p><p>After the verdict was handed down, Kansky asked for a poll of the jurors, which showed they were in unanimous agreement.</p><p>Sanguedolce said he was &#8220;relieved&#8221; by the decision, but wouldn&#8217;t say he was happy about it, because it was a &#8220;terrible situation.&#8221; He added that Scholl&#8217;s children, Julian, 9, and Vera, 7, are now in the custody of their father.</p><p>Juror Mark Wallace, of Dallas, said the key pieces of evidence that convinced the jurors were the texts between Scholl and Stanton. Wallace said the texts made it clear Scholl did not let Stanton know where she was, thereby making her actions obviously not a cry for help.</p><p>Neither Scholl nor Kansky addressed reporters. Scholl was returned to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, where she&#8217;s been lodged since her arrest almost two years ago.</p><p>Judge David W. Lupas scheduled Scholl&#8217;s sentencing for 9:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Scholl </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_Scholl.cropped-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>Scholl </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_TTL091617SchollVerdict-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Melissa Ann Scholl, 34, is escorted by deputy sheriffs through the Luzerne County Courthouse after she was found guilty Friday of attempting to kill her two children. She is now facing more than two decades in prison. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_TTL091617SchollVerdict-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Melissa Ann Scholl, 34, is escorted by deputy sheriffs through the Luzerne County Courthouse after she was found guilty Friday of attempting to kill her two children. She is now facing more than two decades in prison. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>To see video related to this story,</p><p>go to timesleader.com</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table style="border:none;width:98%;" class="mceItemTable"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;"> 67n_QqNvtt8</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;"> YOUTUBE</p><p></td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67n_QqNvtt8</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;"> &lt;iframe width=&#8221;560&#8221; height=&#8221;315&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/embed/67n_QqNvtt8&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;">Prosecution speaks out</p><p></td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;"> Sean McKeag</p><p></td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

Scholl found guilty of two counts of attempted murder