Sovereign Citizen Convicted of Murder in Infant鈥檚 Death
A self-proclaimed 鈥渟overeign citizen,鈥� who was tried in absentia because he refused to cooperate in state court, has been found guilty by a Pennsylvania jury of murdering his 5-week-old daughter.
Lincoln Dave Levys, 29, of Wilkinsburg, Pa., was found guilty on Monday in Pittsburgh of third-degree murder for the 2014 death of his infant daughter, Sage, and endangering her and two other children, media outlets reported.
He also was found guilty of assaulting the infant and another child, but was acquitted of assaulting a third child. The Alleghany County Common Pleas Court jury also found him guilty of possessing drug paraphernalia.
Levys faces up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced in December, the reported.
Like many other antigovernment sovereign citizens, the defendant claimed the court and the laws it enforces have no jurisdiction over him, and he demanded to act as his own attorney.
Levys wasn鈥檛 in the courtroom during the entire five-day trial because he refused to cooperate and continued with outbursts after repeated admonishments from the trial judge during jury selection, according to media reports.
The defendant also refused the judge鈥檚 order to dress in street clothes, wearing a red jail jumpsuit to court. He previously underwent a court-ordered psychological examination and was found mentally competent to stand trial.
鈥淓xcuse me, your honor, I didn鈥檛 consent to this jury or judge,鈥� Levys shouted out in court as the clerk read the criminal charges he faced 鈥� third-degree murder, assaulting two other children in the home and possession of drug paraphernalia.
鈥淢r. Levys, please be seated,鈥� Allegheny County Judge Joseph K. Williams III told the defendant, who kept talking, the reported.
鈥淚鈥檓 giving you one more opportunity if you want to participate in your jury selection,鈥� the judge said. When the defendant鈥檚 outburst continued, he was removed from the courtroom by sheriff鈥檚 deputies.
Over their client鈥檚 objection, Levys鈥� defense attorneys repeatedly objected to the trial proceeding without his presence or participation, which could be grounds for an appeal, according to media accounts.
Levys denied any role in events leading to the child-abuse death of his daughter on Oct. 23, 2014. The jury was told that the child died as a result of repeated abuse over several days, including blunt force trauma and gouge marks on her face, possibly from the defendant鈥檚 fingernails. The infant also had a fractured rib and arm.
The prosecution鈥檚 case largely was based on the testimony of Sheena Alston, the infant鈥檚 mother and Levys' ex-girlfriend, who testified about the defendant鈥檚 abusive behavior.
After the baby鈥檚 death, Alston initially lied to police and didn鈥檛 tell them Levys had abused her and other children in the home 鈥渦ntil she started being treated as a suspect herself,鈥� the newspaper reported. She changed her story after six hours of police interviews, telling investigators that Levys had been the baby's sole caretaker in the hours before its death.
Assistant District Attorney Jennifer DiGiovanni argued to the jury that Alston 鈥渢urned a blind eye鈥� to the abuse of her child because she, too, was a victim of abuse. She previously pleaded guilty to three counts of child endangerment but won鈥檛 get credit at her sentencing for testifying for the prosecution during Levys鈥� trial, the media reports said.
