Guilty plea in stabbing murder

West Norriton wife admits role in killing with husband

WEST NORRITON » One week after her husband pleaded guilty to his role in the fatal stabbing of a Delaware County man during a botched drug deal in Plymouth, his wife also admitted to participating in the murder.

Lana Lare, 21, of the 2500 block of Chestnut Avenue, West Norriton, was sentenced on Wednesday to 30 to 60 years in a state correctional facility after she accepted a plea agreement in connection with the Nov. 20, 2017, stabbing death of 31-year-old Chad Konata,

of Collingdale, Delaware County. Specifically, Lare pleaded guilty to charges of third-degree murder with a deadly weapon, robbery with a deadly weapon and conspiring with her husband, Austin Parkinson, to commit the robbery and murder.

The sentence was imposed by Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy, who held the hearing in her courtroom at the county Youth Center in West Norriton.

Third-degree murder is a killing committed with malice.

“If I could take it back in a heartbeat, I would,” Lare, wearing a maroon jailhouse jumpsuit, addressed Konata’s grieving parents and his girlfriend who were in the courtroom. “I keep you and Chad in my prayers every night.”

Last week, Parkinson, also 21, was sentenced to 40 to 80 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to identical charges. While prosecutors alleged Parkinson was more culpable in the murder, they said Lare also actively participated in the robbery plan and stabbing.

“It was very clear from the evidence in this case that both not only agreed to commit this robbery and to commit this stabbing, they both actually participated in the actual act,” said Assistant District Attorney Robert Kolansky.

With the charges, prosecutors alleged the couple met Konata in the parking lot of West Ridge Center in the 400 block of Ridge Pike for a purported heroin deal, but wound up stabbing him multiple times before making off with eight bundles of the drug, which is less than 100 doses, with a street value of $800.

“They had a plan and a scheme and it was orchestrated to rob him with deadly weapons and they were going to do whatever it took to get that heroin from him,” said Assistant District Attorney Tonya Lupinacci. “This case has had quite an impact on Chad Konata’s parents. Chad was their only son and they are suffering great loss each and every day.”

Konata’s parents and his girlfriend provided the judge with victim impact letters expressing their “unbearable pain.”

“I’ve watched Chad’s parents struggle with the death of their son. The toll it’s taken on them is unbearable. His life was taken too soon,” Noelle Torres, Konata’s girlfriend told the judge.

Defense lawyer Nicholas Reifsnyder said Lare was remorseful and wanted to accept responsibility for her part in the murder.

“She has been extremely remorseful from the jump,” Reifsnyder said. “She got in over her head. She was addicted to drugs. It was a drug-fueled murder. They were looking for heroin. They didn’t have money and the plan was to rob him and to take the drugs. A struggle ensued and they ended up killing him in the struggle and she was certainly a participant in that.

“It’s a horrible, horrible situation. There’s nothing good that came out of this. Obviously, Lana is very remorseful but remorse doesn’t bring back Chad, unfortunately,” Reifsnyder added.

The investigation began shortly before 6 p.m. Nov. 20 when Plymouth police officers responded to a report of a vehicle crash and found Konata dead inside a 2012 Buick sedan that was still in drive and had collided with a parked vehicle in the parking lot of West Ridge Center, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective William Mitchell and Plymouth Detective Anthony Costello.

An autopsy determined Konata died “as a result of multiple sharp force injuries” and the manner of death was ruled homicide.

Detectives obtained surveillance video from numerous locations surrounding the crime scene and that video footage allegedly showed two people entering and then running from the victim’s car moments before it drifted through the lot and struck the second vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.

One of the figures on the surveillance video appeared to be limping while running away, detectives said.

Detectives followed a trail of blood leading from where Konata’s car was parked at the presumed time of the stabbing to a parking space on the east side of the Outback Steakhouse next to the strip mall, court documents indicate.

County detectives recovered two cellphones from inside the Buick and two knives under Konata’s body. Several bags of suspected heroin also were recovered from the area around the vehicle, according to court documents.

The phones, which belonged to Konata, contained several text messages from a number belonging to Parkinson, indicating they would meet around 5 p.m., according to the criminal complaint.

Detectives also interviewed a witness who reportedly saw a dark-colored sedan, possibly an Audi, fleeing from the scene. Additionally, “a concerned citizen” contacted investigators with information regarding a man who reportedly drove Parkinson and Lare to the strip mall in an Audi and later drove the couple to Einstein Medical Center Montgomery where Lare was treated for an injury to her hand.

According to the criminal complaint, detectives obtained security video of Parkinson and Lare arriving at the hospital in a black Audi sedan at 5:32 p.m.

In separate interviews on Nov. 21, Parkinson and Lare reportedly admitted to being driven by a friend to meet up with Konata.

Lare reportedly told detectives the couple had recently married and she had not yet taken Parkinson’s name. Lare allegedly said they went to the meeting location with the intention of scaring and robbing Konata and the couple was armed with knives, according to the arrest affidavit.

Lare allegedly told detectives that once inside the car Parkinson began screaming at Konata and started to stab him. Lare surmised that she received a cut to her right hand when she reached across the victim from the back seat during the stabbing, according to the criminal complaint.

Parkinson subsequently admitted to stabbing Konata with a “big knife” in the commission of a heroin robbery and said he was unsure how many times he had stabbed Konata because he was in “such a rage.”