Pennsylvania man charged with child porn did time for killing stepson
By Chuck Biedka. Valley News Dispatch. 20/25/07.
A former New Kensington (Pennsylvania) Cub Scout leader now charged with having child pornography served almost 10 years in prison for killing his toddler stepson. Daryll Gene Hepford, 49, of Sherman Street, is accused of having child pornography and using the Internet to send six pornographic movie files to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. The "girl" turned out to be a state trooper.
Pittsburgh Scouting spokesman Bob DeWitt said he didn't know about a Hepford's 1978 murder conviction. He said the Greater Pittsburgh Council is investigating it along with Hepford's tenure with Cub Scout Pack 134 in New Kensington.
Scouting officials said he was part of Pack 134 in the late 1990s. At one point he was the Cubmaster. "We checked with the Pack and we feel really confident that there was no inappropriate act in the context of Scouting," said Mike Surbaugh, Scouting executive for the Greater Pittsburgh Council, which oversees about 50,000 Scouts. "This is incredibly unusual for us."
According to court records, Hepford was found guilty 29 years ago of third-degree murder in the death of his 21-month-old stepson in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County. At the time of the boy's death, Hepford was working for a security company and was a member of the National Guard. He was married and he and his wife also had another child. Records show Hepford's stepson died on Feb. 22, 1978. Hepford told police that he was watching TV that afternoon when he heard a "thud" and went to see the boy face down near a mattress. He said the boy was "rubbery legged and unable to stand," and he took him to the restaurant where his wife was working. The boy was then driven to a hospital. The child had injuries to his abdomen and died that night. Hepford was later charged with murder. During trial, Hepford's attorney said there was evidence that the boy was prone to falling. However, a doctor insisted the injuries couldn't have happened from an accidental fall. Hepford was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison. According to state Department of Corrections records, Hepford began the sentence in February 1979 and released on parole in June 1988.
Surbaugh said Hepford's 1978 conviction for the death of a child should have ruled out his service as a Cub Scout leader. Until 2003, when Scouting started to use a paid service to check backgrounds, the screening was done locally. "We relied on friends, neighbors and religious leaders" to tell Scout leaders if there was a problem, he said. Surbaugh didn't know what type of screening was done for Hepford or who vouched for him. He also didn't know if someone called the state police or state corrections officials to check databases. Scouting now uses a paid service to check nationally for criminal records or other reasons that would preclude a leader candidate from being around Scouts, he said.
In the child pornography case, Hepford is charged with having contact with a minor or a law enforcement officer assuming the identity of a minor and transmitted obscene or sexual materials to that person.
He also is charged with sexual abuse of children for possessing materials that depicted a child younger than 17 engaging in a prohibited sexual act or simulation of a sexual act.
Hepford was released on $25,000 non-cash bond pending his Dec. 6 preliminary hearing.
Chuck Biedka can be reached at cbiedka@tribweb.com or 724-226-4711.
Retrieved October 28, 2007 http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_534492.html
A former New Kensington (Pennsylvania) Cub Scout leader now charged with having child pornography served almost 10 years in prison for killing his toddler stepson. Daryll Gene Hepford, 49, of Sherman Street, is accused of having child pornography and using the Internet to send six pornographic movie files to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. The "girl" turned out to be a state trooper.
Pittsburgh Scouting spokesman Bob DeWitt said he didn't know about a Hepford's 1978 murder conviction. He said the Greater Pittsburgh Council is investigating it along with Hepford's tenure with Cub Scout Pack 134 in New Kensington.
Scouting officials said he was part of Pack 134 in the late 1990s. At one point he was the Cubmaster. "We checked with the Pack and we feel really confident that there was no inappropriate act in the context of Scouting," said Mike Surbaugh, Scouting executive for the Greater Pittsburgh Council, which oversees about 50,000 Scouts. "This is incredibly unusual for us."
According to court records, Hepford was found guilty 29 years ago of third-degree murder in the death of his 21-month-old stepson in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County. At the time of the boy's death, Hepford was working for a security company and was a member of the National Guard. He was married and he and his wife also had another child. Records show Hepford's stepson died on Feb. 22, 1978. Hepford told police that he was watching TV that afternoon when he heard a "thud" and went to see the boy face down near a mattress. He said the boy was "rubbery legged and unable to stand," and he took him to the restaurant where his wife was working. The boy was then driven to a hospital. The child had injuries to his abdomen and died that night. Hepford was later charged with murder. During trial, Hepford's attorney said there was evidence that the boy was prone to falling. However, a doctor insisted the injuries couldn't have happened from an accidental fall. Hepford was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison. According to state Department of Corrections records, Hepford began the sentence in February 1979 and released on parole in June 1988.
Surbaugh said Hepford's 1978 conviction for the death of a child should have ruled out his service as a Cub Scout leader. Until 2003, when Scouting started to use a paid service to check backgrounds, the screening was done locally. "We relied on friends, neighbors and religious leaders" to tell Scout leaders if there was a problem, he said. Surbaugh didn't know what type of screening was done for Hepford or who vouched for him. He also didn't know if someone called the state police or state corrections officials to check databases. Scouting now uses a paid service to check nationally for criminal records or other reasons that would preclude a leader candidate from being around Scouts, he said.
In the child pornography case, Hepford is charged with having contact with a minor or a law enforcement officer assuming the identity of a minor and transmitted obscene or sexual materials to that person.
He also is charged with sexual abuse of children for possessing materials that depicted a child younger than 17 engaging in a prohibited sexual act or simulation of a sexual act.
Hepford was released on $25,000 non-cash bond pending his Dec. 6 preliminary hearing.
Chuck Biedka can be reached at cbiedka@tribweb.com or 724-226-4711.
Retrieved October 28, 2007 http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_534492.html