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Man pleads guilty to third degree murder in Jefferson Co. case

Posted By: VenangoExtra.com June 30, 2021

From staff reports

A Jefferson County man accused of shooting and killing his roommate entered a guilty plea Tuesday afternoon.

William Joseph Sivak, 65, pleaded guilty to a charge of third-degree murder, according to a spokeswoman from the Jefferson County district attorney’s office.

On May 10, 2020, Sivak shot and killed his roommate, Amos Leroy Smail, 60, at their residence at 732 Smail Road, Union Township, Jefferson County.

A criminal complaint said state police were notified of the shooting when Sivak called the barracks in Punxsutawney and told the communications officer that he had “just shot a man” who was later identified as Smail.

Police arrived at the residence and found Smail’s body outside next to his pickup truck.

The complaint said Sivak told police he shot Smail because he “couldn’t take him anymore and was tired of him (Smail) giving him a hard time.”

Sivak said he shot Smail with a rifle in the living room of the dwelling, according to police. Sivak also told police that after Smail was shot, he walked from the living room outside to the driveway where he tried to unlock his truck, but he collapsed in the driveway.

Sivak had requested a jury trial that was scheduled to begin Thursday in Brookville.

He will be sentenced July 7.

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