Back-to-Back Life Sentences for Accused Killer of Alburtis Women

Brandin Kasick, who last week rejected a plea agreement in the 2011 deaths of two Alburtis women, changed his mind Tuesday.

Kasick pleaded "no contest" to the charge of killing Althea Walbert, 82, and her 59-year-old mentally challenged daughter, Jeanette, in March 2011, according to online court records. Robbery, burglary and other charges were withdrawn.

Lehigh County Judge Kelly Banach sentenced Kasick, 29, to back-to-back life sentences, a posting on lehighvalleylive.com said.

"No contest" means a defendant does not admit to the charges or dispute them but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence for a conviction.

At the end of Tuesday's hearing, Kasick said he was not the one who committed the crime, according to the report. Banach said he may not have put "knife to flesh" but he was responsible for the women's deaths.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christie Bonesch told The Morning Call that there was no evidence that anyone else was involved in the killings. 

Patch previously reported that Kasick told Banach Jan. 6 he was rejecting a plea agreement that would have avoided a trial. Banach then scheduled his trial for Jan. 27.

Kasick was charged with killing the Walbert women inside their Alburtis home. Their bodies were discovered March 11, 2011.

Kasick knew the women because he did carpet cleaning in their home. He was arrested in Sarasota, Fla., about six months after the Walberts' bodies were found.

Prosecuting the case was assistant district attorney Christie Bonesch. Representing Kasick was court-appointed attorney Paul Levy of Jim Thorpe.