Metro

EBENSBURG — After about an hour of deliberations, a Cambria County jury of five men and seven women on Friday found Austin Louis Kline, 25, guilty on all charges related to what prosecutors said was a gruesome killing in May 2023.

Kline was found guilty of criminal homicide, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence in the death of Robert Morgan, 55, an Altoona resident who Kline had hired to perform excavation work at his South Fork residence.

During the three-day trial, the prosecution showed the jury state police interviews with Kline, recorded the day Morgan went missing and the following day. In one video, Kline described how he first shot Morgan, then hit him with a shovel and soil-tamping tool, before partially dismembering his body.

Kline’s sentencing has been set for July 22.

This story will be updated online and in the Saturday-Sunday Altoona Mirror as more information becomes available.