Victim's family find some relief after 11 indicted in 2016 Montgomery Twp. triple homicide
A triple homicide investigation that started nearly two and half years ago in Franklin County is now one step closer to providing closure to victims' families.
Pennsylvania State Police announced Sunday afternoon that 11 people were indicted for their alleged involvement in the murders of Brandon Cole, 47, Wendy Chaney, 39, and Phillip Jackson, 36. Five of the accused were members of a nationwide gang known as the Black Guerilla Family, according to court documents.
There have been 22 counts filed against the 11 defendants, some related to the murders and others to drug trafficking.
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On Jan. 25, 2016, shots rang out at a Welsh Run Road home in Montgomery Township. Police arrived to find two people dead and a third person injured, with a fire ongoing in part of the property. Jackson died later at the hospital.
Jackson was the owner of the farm on the street, and according to the indictment, bought and sold cocaine, crack cocaine and heroine from the gang.
Members of the Black Guerilla Family were at the farm that day. Documents state they intended to kill Chaney, who was an undercover agent working for the drug task force in Washington County, Md., and planned to rob Jackson. It is unclear why Cole was at the farm.
Later that day, the group went to a convenience store near Hagerstown, Md. where one member "pistol-whipped" and robbed a customer, according to court documents.
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At the time of the shooting, Brandon Cole was living in Fayetteville with his wife, JoElla Cole, his son and his stepdaughter.
"It has been devastating," JoElla Cole previously said about her loss. "My husband, he was a good father."
JoElla Cole told Public Opinion Monday afternoon she was notified Friday that arrests had been made in the case. She said it was "mind-blowing" to read what had happened.
"We are still a long way from guilty verdicts, but this is one step closer," she continued. "Knowing these individuals are now charged for what they did gives me a sense of relief." JoElla Cole added neither her nor her husband personally knew any of those who were charged.
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The family may be closer to closure, but right now, they are focused on taking everything one day at a time.
"The kids miss their dad and I miss my husband so much, but we have to continue to live life," JoElla Cole said.
According to a press release from state police, a formal joint news conference involving all agencies participating in the investigation will take place when the federal shutdown concludes.