Hearing notices were filed on Friday for two of the three defendants charged in the December 2023 murder of a New Florence woman. Westmoreland County Judge Meagan Bilik-Defazio scheduled the status conferences for Matthew Bates and Robert Jack, both of whom are 19 years old and are charged along with 50-year-old Melissa Fox-Beacom, the victim’s daughter.
The three are accused in the shooting death of 71-year-old Alice Robson, whose body was found buried underneath the back porch of her home along Furnace Road outside of New Florence. Police say Fox-Beacom arranged the killing, which was carried out by either Bates or Jack. Each claims the other pulled the trigger.
The cases were consolidated last year. The hearing for Bates and Jack is scheduled for April 14th. A separate hearing for Fox-Beacom is scheduled for March 28th.
