Dibert

BEDFORD — A Duncansville woman was sentenced Friday to 177 to 480 months’ incarceration in the assault and arson-for-hire case targeting her estranged wife.

Heather Ann Dibert, 45, was sentenced in Bedford County court by presiding President Judge Travis W. Livengood to about 15 to 40 years in a state correctional facility. A Bedford County jury found Dibert guilty of conspiracy to commit aggravated arson, criminal solicitation of first-degree murder and related charges following a four-day criminal trial in September.

In addressing the court, Dibert became emotional and apologized to Livengood, stating that she was “mad, hurting and upset” when co-defendant Zachary A. Sellers, 36, set fire to a Tulls Hills Road home in Napier Township in October 2023.

Dibert “never thought (Sellers) would go to this extreme,” she said. She claimed to be under the influence when telling Sellers to set fire to the home with five people inside, two of whom were her estranged wife’s young children.

“I was attached to the kids,” Dibert said.

Assistant prison chaplain Amy Zigler gave a character statement on behalf of Dibert, stating that Dibert had been a “miracle.”

While serving time, Dibert had been baptized, attended services and Bible study.

“I’ve seen the walls she put up crumble,” Zigler said.

Prison chaplain Dennis Dibert, who has no relation to Dibert, also spoke, saying he saw a “real change” within Dibert while attending services.

Knowing Dibert for two years now, Dennis said Dibert had trust issues at the beginning, but she’s changed “little by little.”

Dibert’s mother, Lois Dibert, gave the final character statement, saying she saw Dibert “turn for the worse” after Dibert’s grandmother passed away in 2008.

Her mother told Livengood that Dibert was raped in the past, which took away her ability to have children, explaining her connection to the victim’s children.

She said Dibert ended up in jail after saying “something stupid” to Sellers.

“I know my daughter,” Lois Dibert said. “She wouldn’t hurt any kids.”

In tears, she told Livengood that she doesn’t want to die while her daughter is in jail.

Altoona defense attorney Mark Zearfaus said Dibert is “remorseful” of her actions and expressed her love for the victim’s children.

“She truly loved the victim’s children, no question,” Zearfaus said.

The victim then gave an impact statement, saying she was unable to connect with her own children during her marriage to Dibert.

The victim felt “trapped” for three years with Dibert, missing out on birthdays and ordinary life moments.

The victim told Livengood that she hoped his sentence reflected the weight of Dibert’s actions “so no one has to live through what I did.”

The victim’s stepmother said her safety was “shattered” after Sellers’ arson attempt, but instead of becoming afraid, her family became “livid.”

The stepmom said Dibert was “so arrogant” in believing that she could outsmart the court, in reference to Dibert’s jury trial testimony, where she claimed each witness lied when they took the stand.

She hoped Dibert would find help in the future, she said, while Dibert wiped away tears.

Assistant District Attorney Megan Will said the judge saw how “manipulative” Dibert can be. She referenced a letter Dibert sent to the court that claimed she was the one being abused in her relationship with the victim.

Dibert isn’t the victim in this case, Will said, asking the judge to hold Dibert accountable during the sentencing.

After hearing the various statements, Livengood said it’s hard to assess Dibert’s “change of heart” because he only saw her behavior during the jury trial.

“I view her to be one of the more manipulative people I’ve seen in the courtroom,” Livengood said.

He pointed to Dibert’s emotional state while talking about the children she attempted to kill, saying those two factors can’t coexist.

Livengood also acknowledged the serious charges attached to Dibert’s name and that her criminal record began about 20 years ago.

After Livengood handed down her sentence, Dibert was seen crying while being escorted out of the courtroom.

District Attorney Ashlan Clark said the sentencing “gives victims peace of mind.”

Will said she felt “relieved” at the length of Dibert’s sentence because the victim and her family’s lives had been “turned upside down.”

She noted the victim and her family wore pink every day of the jury trial and the sentencing because Dibert “hated pink.”

In solidarity, Will, Clark and newly hired Assistant District Attorney Melissa Bergman wore coordinated pink outfits during Friday’s sentencing.

A jury also found Dibert guilty of single misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct, unlawful restraint, simple assault and making terroristic threats.

Dibert’s Bedford County case was combined with a Blair County case in January 2025, to be tried together. In the Blair County case, Freedom Township Police Sgt. Nathan Claycomb took Dibert’s estranged wife to the police station after conducting a welfare check in October 2023.

Dibert then drove to the station and threatened that if the victim left with her father, she would kill the victim and her children, according to past reports.

In November, Sellers was sentenced to two to five years’ incarceration to be followed by five years’ probation, while co-defendant Jamie Eugenia Beers pleaded guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to risk a catastrophe in exchange for a sentence of two to five years’ incarceration, with all other charges against her dismissed.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.