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A Bedford County woman accused of shooting her father to death issued a no-contest plea Monday and faces sentencing later this year, Bedford County court officials confirmed.
A court administrator said Christy Ann Zelanko, 50, of Six Mile Run issued the plea in a 2015 murder case and faces sentencing this fall. Zelanko initially faced several felony charges including first-degree murder, but she will be sentenced on a lesser third-degree charge, the Bedford Gazette reported.
Zelanko has been jailed since July 2015, when she allegedly shot her father, 68-year-old James Albert Zelanko, dead as he lay in bed.
Police said she committed the crime after a long nighttime phone conversation with her mother, who lived with her father next door in Six Mile Run. Her mother allegedly detailed a lifetime of abuse at James Zelanko's hands, prompting Christy Zelanko to pick up a pistol and walk to the house.
She hugged her mother, then walked upstairs and shot her father before returning to explain what she had done, police said at the time.
When she was first charged, District Attorney Bill Higgins noted that her father's alleged abuse could impact the seriousness of Zelanko's punishment. Family members emotionally expressed support for her when she first faced a preliminary hearing in 2015.
As part of her plea, Zelanko reportedly will not face sentencing on aggravated assault and gun possession charges. A court employee said Judge Travis Livengood had not yet written a formal order on the plea.
Zelanko remains in Bedford County Jail as she awaits sentencing, according to court records. She faces sentencing on Oct. 13.
Mirror Staff Writer Ryan Brown is at 946-7457.