Aswathappa

HOLLIDAYSBURG — A 21-year-old Frankstown Township man pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree murder in the July 27, 2021, stabbing death of his 24-year-old brother, Suryadev Aswathappa.

Vasudev Aswa­thap­­­pa, whose de­­fense attorneys were pursuing a pre-trial appeal in Superior Court, assured Judge Jackie Bernard on Monday that their client wanted to enter the plea for a sentence of 20-to-40 years’ incarceration.

“I’m confident that I want to move forward with sentencing today,” Aswathappa said.

He declined to put sentencing on hold to await completion of a pre-sentence investigation.

Outside court, defense attorneys Ted Krol and Christian Kerstetter said they thought their appeal pending with Superior Court could come down in favor of the defense and substantially damage the prosecution’s case.

“But the DA maintained they still had a strong case and would push for trial,” Krol said.

While a first- or second-degree murder conviction carries a life in prison penalty, Aswathappa’s plea to third-degree murder offers the chance of being released after 20 years’ incarceration.

“He could be eligible for parole before he’s 40,” Krol said.

Aswathappa, who was 18 years old when arrested, will be credited for time served.

District Attorney Pete Weeks and Assistant District Attorney Derek Elensky told Bernard that they believed the plea — to third-degree murder and to related misdemeanor offenses of tampering/fabricating physical evidence and unsworn falsification to authorities — was an appropriate resolution.

Weeks said Aswathappa’s attorneys indicated last week that their client was willing to render the plea for a sentence of 20 to 40 years.

“And we gave you additional time to consider that?” Weeks said in court to Aswathappa.

“Yes,” the defendant replied.

As Bernard addressed the seriousness of the case, she told Aswathappa that she has seen how it has affected him, his family and the community.

“Your brother died a horrible death,” the judge said. “There’s no sugar-coating that.”

State police at Hollidaysburg went to Aswathappa’s residence in Frankstown Township in response to a potential suicide death by stabbing.

The responding officers, during a pre-trial hearing, spoke of having immediate doubts about the suicide. They found Suryadev Aswathappa lying face down on a bloody bed in the basement of the residence with stab wounds to his back and to his hand.

When interviewed later, police contend that Vasudev Aswathappa admitted to putting a bloody knife on the dresser beside the bed and to tossing a white-handled knife, used to stab his brother, into the woods. He also washed off his boots and put the clothes he was wearing into the washing machine.

In court Monday, Elensky asked about a motive, prompting Krol to say his client was declining to address that.

“There’s nothing that can be said that can change the situation or the outcome,” the defense attorney said.

Krol then turned to Aswathappa and asked if that remained his position.

The stoic Aswathappa answered: “Yes.”

When police charged Aswathappa, they said he told them that he had confronted his older brother about ruining his childhood with mental and physical abuse.

Bernard told Aswathappa on Monday that she would order him to undergo a psychological examination and follow through with recommendations.

She told him his actions are difficult to comprehend, not only for him and his family, but also for the community.

“The brutality of the stabbing of your brother … none of us will ever understand,” she said.

In addition to the psychological evaluation, the judge also ordered Aswathappa to undergo anger management counseling, cognitive behavior counseling and to pay $8,801 in crime lab testing fees.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.