All judges in Pa. county recuse selves in 1980 case

UNIONTOWN, PA. » All of the Court of Common Pleas judges in one Pennsylvania county have recused themselves from presiding over the appeal of a man serving a life term in a 1980 murder that prosecutors said he was hired to commit by the victim’s wife and her lover.

The (Uniontown) Herald-Standard reports that all seven Fayette County judges have recused themselves in the case of 74-year-old Joseph Frankenberry, some citing prior work for the prosecutor’s office.

Frankenberry was convicted in the November 1980 killing of trucker John Tomasek. Authorities said he was hired by Tomasek’s wife, Phoebe, and her lover, Elmer Younkin, who were also convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Defense attorney J. Andrew Salemme has alleged violations he says prevented his client from receiving a fair trial.