Zachary Proper Found Dead in Prison Cell

| September 10, 2014


INDIANA, Pa. (EYT) – Zachary Proper, the 15-year-old Oil City boy who shot and killed his grandparents at their Sandycreek Township home in October 2012, was found dead on Monday night at Pine Grove State Prison in Indiana County.

A representative for the prison told exploreVenango.com that Proper hanged himself using a sheet tied around his neck.

Efforts to revive Proper were unsuccessful.

Proper pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder before Venango County Judge Oliver J. Lobaugh on August 26, 2013. He later agreed to a plea deal, pleading guilty on both counts of third-degree murder. The plea agreement would have kept Proper in prison for 17 1/2 to 40 years for each count. The sentences were to run consecutively.

The shootings took place around 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 7, 2012 in Sandycreek Township, Venango County, when Proper allegedly became angry at his grandparents, George and Dorothy Fross, for calling his mother a derogatory name.

Proper’s death is under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police and prison officials.

Stay with exploreVenango.com for continuous coverage of this Breaking News Story.


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