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Luzerne County Council meeting postponed due to weather

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Another Democrat enters race for Wilkes-Barre City Council District E seat

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Joseph John Marchetti would have gone to trial next week for the shooting death of his girlfriend and the severe beating of her mother, with the possibility of the death penalty on the table. But this week, he pleaded guilty and was immediately sentenced to decades in prison.</p><p>Marchetti, 52, appeared in court Tuesday before Luzerne County Judge William H. Amesbury, where he entered the guilty plea through his attorney, public defender Jonathan Blum.</p><p>Marchetti entered guilty pleas on one count each of third degree murder and attempted homicide. He was charged with shooting and killing his girlfriend, Antoinette Wilkinson, 46, in their Foster Township home on Jan. 28, 2018. Wilkinson was shot five times with a .22 caliber rifle, and was also beaten with a blunt object.</p><p>After the woman was dead, he severely beat her mother, Barbara Wilkinson, 72, telling her during the beatings that her daughter was dead and that she was &#8220;next.&#8221;</p><p>Prosecutors initially intended to pursue the death penalty against Marchetti if they were to secure a first degree murder conviction, but offered to recommend a total sentence of between 35 and 80 years in prison should he plead guilty to the lesser count of third degree murder.</p><p>Amesbury accepted Marchetti&#8217;s guilty plea, but allowed a member of the Wilkinson family to speak before sentencing him.</p><p>Tanya Delese, sister of Antoinette, who the family lovingly referred to as &#8220;Toni Lynn,&#8221; delivered a tearful address, passionately condemning Marchetti.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t need to stand here to tell everyone what a worthless coward you are,&#8221; Delese said.</p><p>According to Delese, Marchetti had been with Toni Lynn for years, and her sister steadfastly stood by him, supporting him in spite of, as Delese said, Marchetti&#8217;s alcohol abuse.</p><p>Delese perhaps had the harshest of words for Marchetti&#8217;s attack on her mother.</p><p>&#8220;To lay your hands on an innocent woman at her age is not human,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Delese asked for the judge to send Marchetti to a state prison as far from the area as possible, so he would know the pain of being cut off from his family members, similar to the Wilkinson family&#8217;s loss of Toni Lynn. In truth, Amesbury does not have direct control over what state prison the Department of Corrections assigns Marchetti to.</p><p>But Delese had one final, fiery comment, dispelling any thought of the family forgiving Marchetti.</p><p>&#8220;God may forgive you, but we will not,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Blum spoke briefly, saying to this day he does not understand what prompted his client to kill Toni Lynn and beat Barbara, saying Marchetti himself is somewhat &#8220;baffled&#8221; by his actions. He said Marchetti was a victim of abuse growing up, and has since struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, along with depression and anxiety.</p><p><strong>&#8216;You deserve to be punished&#8217;</strong></p><p>Marchetti spoke very briefly, offering up an apology for what he had done.</p><p>&#8220;If I could turn back time, none of us would be in this courtroom today,&#8221; he said.</p><p>But the usually calm Amesbury spoke with obvious anger in his voice when he spoke to Marchetti.</p><p>&#8220;Sir, you can&#8217;t turn back time,&#8221; he said. Of Blum&#8217;s statements regarding Marchetti&#8217;s troubled past, he said, &#8220;They&#8217;re not excuses; they&#8217;re not defenses.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I must punish you, sir, because you deserve to be punished,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Amesbury noted that, while the proposed sentence of 35 to 80 years did technically allow room for Marchetti to be paroled, it was more likely to be a life sentence at his age. Amesbury imposed the sentence proposed by the commonwealth, ordering Marchetti to pay the costs of prosecution and to pay over $15,000 in restitution.</p><p>Marchetti was given 377 days credit for time served, shaving just over a year off his lengthy sentence.</p><p>&#8220;Ladies and gentlemen,&#8221; Amesbury said before pausing, with a look of sadness in his eye. &#8220;Such a loss.&#8221;</p><p>After the sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Daniel Zola spoke about how the plea deal was something that was agreed upon by the Wilkinson family before it was offered to Marchetti. He said the deal allows for closure for the family, preventing them from having to relive the case through repeated appeals if Marchetti were to be sentenced to death.</p><p>&#8220;The justice we give them is not real justice,&#8221; Zola said, saying what the family truly wants is for Toni Lynn to come back and for Barbara&#8217;s memory of that terrible night to be erased.</p><p>&#8220;All we can give them is the best we can give them under the circumstances,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Marchetti was remanded to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility before he would be transported to a state prison. At absolute earliest, Marchetti will be 86 when he&#8217;s eligible for parole.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Joseph Marchetti Jr. Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL031718Marchetti1.cmyk_-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Joseph Marchetti Jr. Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL031718Marchetti1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joseph Marchetti Jr. Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL031718Marchetti1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Joseph Marchetti Jr. Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </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"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Marchetti receives 35 to 80 years in murder, assault