READING, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man charged with killing his father and grandmother has been convicted of murder and other charges.
A Berks County jury quickly returned the verdict Friday after the weeklong trial of 36-year-old Johnny T. Branford.
Branford had been staying in the victims’ Reading (REH’-ding) home before he was kicked out in December 2014 after an argument with his father. He had a protection-from-abuse order lodged against him.
Prosecutors say he returned on Jan. 26, 2015, to stab 52-year-old Johnny M. Branford dozens of times and then strangled 74-year-old Mary Branford so she couldn’t report the first killing.
Prosecutors say he took his grandmother’s credit cards and went on a shopping spree before the bodies were discovered. He was arrested 10 days later.
Branford denied killing his relatives. He testified, “That goes against my beliefs.”
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