NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The 19-year-old who stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death at a train station in Abington last summer has been found guilty of first-degree murder and will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Gilbert Newton III put his forehead on the table as the jury read the verdict: guilty of murder for stabbing 18-year-old Morgan McCaffery about 37 times in the overflow parking lot at the Meadowbrook SEPTA Station on July 27, 2020.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours Wednesday morning.
During the trial, defense attorney Charles Peruto Jr. conceded Newton killed her, but he argued it was not premeditated. He said Newton should have been found guilty of third-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years.
First-degree murder carries a mandatory life-in-prison sentence.
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Prosecutors pointed to dozens of text messages from Newton in the days and weeks leading up the killing, including one to McCaffery, in which he said he wanted to stab her in the neck repeatedly. He also sent similar texts to his mother, including one the night before the killing that said he would cut McCaffery’s head off if she didn’t get back with him.
Peruto told the jury that Newton said a lot of things, as he’s just “an idiot kid, an immature kid.” He pointed to Newton’s testimony on Tuesday, where he told the jury he brought two knives because he was going to kill himself, not McCaffery, but he snapped and killed her instead.
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Prosecutor Kathleen McLaughlin believes the jury got it right. Without making light of suicide, she argued Newton used it to manipulate people, including McCaffery, and he tried “to get [the jury] to take pity on him. It’s a sham,” she said.
Not only were the texts enough to show premeditation, but she pointed to the fact that he brought two knives to meet her that day.
“Suicide is not something that should be taken lightly,” McLaughlin emphasized, “but the defendant did not kill himself that day. The only person who died that day was Morgan.”
During the sentencing, McCaffery’s mother shouted at Newton, saying he brought shame to his parents and family. She held up an autopsy photo of her daughter and told Newton to look at it, then called him a monster and a sick, demented person.
McCaffery’s aunt said they don’t celebrate holidays anymore because they are painful reminders of what they’ve lost.
Newton stared at each witness, his expression unchanged.
On the courthouse steps, McCaffery’s uncle and godfather, Frank, said the verdict doesn’t bring her back, but it closes an ugly chapter. Now, they can start sharing McCaffery’s story.
“If her story can save one young girl from suffering the same fate Morgan had to, we know Morgan’s light will shine on forever,” he said.
Suicide should not be taken lightly. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text “hello” to 741741.