STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – A woman has been charged along with a man in the death of a Penn State professor who police say was pushed off a cliff at a quarry and fell 80 feet.
Danelle Geier, 32, of Lemont, was arraigned Saturday night on charges of first- and third-degree murder, conspiracy, aggravated assault and evidence-tampering, The Centre Daily Times (http://bit.ly/2btlZw2) reported.
George Ishler Jr., 39, of Pennsylvania Furnace, had previously been charged with first- and third-degree murder in the death of Ronald Bettig, 56, an associate professor of media studies whose remains were found last week.
Authorities said Ishler and the professor were friends and Geier was living with him, and they allege that the two plotted to kill Bettig because they believed they would gain financially from a will Bettig recently signed.
Authorities allege in court documents that the two originally plotted to have Ishler drown Bettig in the ocean during a trip to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, and later came up with the plot to kill him at Blackhawk Quarry in Potter Township. During the trip to Rehoboth Beach, authorities allege, Geier texted Ishler, and made an alleged reference to being ready to kill Bettig because she was angry that he had criticized how she was raising her son.