MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A 37-year-old Montgomery County man will spend the rest of his life in prison after he admitted in court Monday to breaking into his estranged wife’s Wyndmoor home and stabbing her repeatedly.
Kenneth Shea pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with a mandatory sentence of life in prison with no chance for parole. In exchange, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.
Less than a month before her murder, 57-year-old Elizabeth Shea filed for a protection from abuse order against Kenneth and he was evicted from her home.
Kenneth admitted to taking an Uber on April 10 from a Bensalem Hotel to the Wyndmoor home the two used to share before breaking in and stabbing her multiple times.
“There's a lot of premeditation that went into this case,” said Prosecutor Tanner Beck, “and I think that alone kind of shows the first-degree murder, but also the injuries and the deadly weapon being used on vital areas of body.”
She’s remembered by loved ones as inspiring and caring. Her youngest of three sons, Corey Bradley, says they are all still trying to wrap their heads around it.
“But, we know, one day at a time. And she's always watching over us in good spirits, and she would want the best for us. So we just got to make her proud.”
Elizabeth’s oldest son, Bob Bradley, says he feels Kenneth’s apology was sincere.
“And we do appreciate that. And I think he's, like, you know, he's suffering a loss too, so that's unfortunate, but then it was still a decision he made.”
Kenneth told the court he has no one to blame but himself and pleaded guilty to spare the family a public trial.