In a recent court appearance in Montgomery County, Verity Beck of Jenkintown has entered a plea of not guilty.

According to The Pottstown Mercury, Beck, who is accused of fatally shooting and dismembering her elderly parents in January, waived her formal arraignment hearing on Thursday and allowed her lawyer to enter not guilty pleas on her behalf.

Beck’s trial is scheduled to begin on February 5, 2024, and is expected to last five days.

The Mercury also reported that prosecutors will not seek a death sentence.

From the article:

Based on the legal standards and the factors they can consider under the law, prosecutors explained they will not seek a death sentence if Beck is convicted of first-degree murder, which is an intentional killing.

With a guilty but mentally ill strategy a defendant would argue that as a result of a mental disease or defect, they lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of their conduct or conform their conduct to the requirements of the law. A person found guilty but mentally ill would receive continuing mental health treatment while serving any prison sentence.

The article noted that a conviction of third-degree murder carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years. Beck will remain in custody without bail pending trial.

For the full article, you can click here. For our previous coverage on Beck, you can click here.

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Photos: Twitter via Carl Hessler, Jr. of the Pottstown Mercury, Montgomery County District Attorney