Jason Sweeney was a sixteen year old from Fishtown, Pennsylvania who would be brutally murdered by the girl he was dating, a friend since childhood and two brothers. Jason Sweeney had recently started dating Justina Morley a troubled fifteen year old girl. Jason who had been working construction was excited for the date he had that night with Justina Morley.
Justina Morley would invite him to meet her at a wooded area so the two of them could have sex. What Jason Sweeney did not know was that his friend Edward Batzig Jr and two brothers, Nicholas and Domenic Coia were lying in wait so they could rob him of his paycheck
Edward Batzig Jr would strike Jason Sweeney first which was quickly followed by Nicholas and Domenic Coia who would also attack. Jason Sweeney reportedly begged Edward Batzig Jr to stop however his so called friend would hit him repeatedly with an axe. The three teen killers would finish by smashing Jason Sweeney skull in with a large rock.
Justina Morley, Edward Batzig Jr, Nicholas and Domenic Coia would steal the money out of Jason’s pocket and reportedly the four shared a group hug
The four would spend the money on jewelry and drugs. It would not take long for police to figure out who was responsible for the murder of Jason Sweeney
Justina Morley lawyers would attempt to keep her case in juvenile court as they brought up her struggles with mental health and drug addiction however the prosecutors just pointed at the severity of the crimes that she was charged with. Justina Morley would be tried as an adult and would agree to testify against the three others in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Edward Batzig Jr, Nicholas Coia and Domenic Coia would all be found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Many believed that Justina Morley was the ringleader and that prosecutors did not need her testimony in order to convict the other three and she deserved a life sentence for her actions.
Justina Morley would be released from prison in 2020.
Jason Sweeney Killers Update
Domenic Coia
Parole Number: GE5575 Age: 35 Date of Birth: 06/13/1985 Race/Ethnicity: WHITE Height: 5′ 10″ Gender: MALE Citizenship: USA Complexion: LIGHT Current Location: GREENE
Nicholas Coia
Parole Number: GE6387 Age: 34 Date of Birth: 08/30/1986 Race/Ethnicity: WHITE Height: 5′ 06″ Gender: MALE Citizenship: USA Complexion: LIGHT Current Location: SOMERSET
Edward Batzig Jr
Parole Number: GE6503 Age: 34 Date of Birth: 10/05/1986 Race/Ethnicity: WHITE Height: 6′ 00″ Gender: MALE Citizenship: USA Complexion: LIGHT Current Location: CHESTER
Justina Morley
Inmate Number: OJ6487 Age: 33 Date of Birth: 03/07/1988 Race/Ethnicity: White Height: 5′ 04″ Weight (lbs): 142 Gender: Female Complexion: FAIR District Office: Allentown DO County of Residence: BUCKS State: PENNSYLVANIA Release Date: 12/10/2020
Justina Morley was fifteen years old when she took part in the brutal murder of an another teenager. According to court documents Justina Morley lured the victim Jason Sweeney to a remote location with the promise of sex where he would be fatally attacked by Edward Batzig, Domenic and Nicholas Cola. According to police the reason that Jason Sweeney was attacked is that the group knew he had just been paid. This teen killer Morley would be sentenced to 17 and a half to 35 years in prison, as of this writing she is still incarcerated. Edward Batzig, Domenic and Nicholas Cola all received life sentences.
Justina Morley 2021 Information
Justina Morley has been released from prison
Justina Morley Other News
Nicholas Coia wore a blue prison uniform, handcuffs and a blank expression yesterday as he was led into court for a resentencing hearing in the brutal 2003 murder of 16-year-old Jason Sweeney.
Coia, 28, sat next to his lawyer, his back to the victim’s parents Dawn and Paul Sweeney and his sister Melissa Vereb, who were among the witnesses called to testify at the hearing to determine whether Coia’s life sentence should stand.
“My precious baby boy had been beaten to death so brutally that I had to identify him by a fresh scar on his hand,” Dawn Sweeney testified, tears streaming down her face. “I sat in the court room listening to testimony that a couple of weeks prior to Jason’s murder, the four of them originally wanted to murder me and my whole family while we slept.”
She asked that Coia’s life sentence be upheld.
Coia, 16 at the time of the killing, was convicted of first-degree murder in March 2005, along with his brother Domenic Coia and their friend Edward Batzig, for the brutal slaying of Sweeney in Fishtown. A fourth teen, Justina Morley, then 15, pleaded guilty in the slaying and was sentenced to 17 1/2 to 35 years in prison.
The three boys, all under 18 at the time of the murder, were sentenced to life in prison without parole. However, in 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that life sentences given to juveniles were a violation of the 8th amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, and required that juveniles sentenced to life be resentenced.
The resentencings must take into consideration the juvenile’s age at the time of the murder as well as other factors.
During yesterday’s hearing, Special Agent Richard Reinhold, who investigated the murder in 2003, described the vicious wounds found on Sweeney’s face and testified that Coia spent weeks plotting to kill Sweeney with the intent to steal his money.
Assistant District Attorney Jude Conroy, asked Reinhold to explain how Coia enlisted the help of Morley to lure Sweeney to the location where Coia, his brother and Batzig hacked and clubbed him to death with multiple weapons including a rock and a hatchet.
Vereb, the victim’s sister, asked that Coia’s sentence stand, saying he was incapable of change.
“Forgiving them means that it hurts less today than it did 12 years ago,” she testified. “I only ask that you find it in your judgment to understand that while some people are capable of becoming better than their past, that Coia is not. This was a well thought out murder. One where he had plenty of time to stop it from happening.”
The hearing before Common Pleas Judge Sandy L.V. Byrd continues today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Justina Morley Release Date
Justina Morley was released from prison in 2020
Justina Morley More News
Jason Sweeney, 16, was a brown-haired, easygoing teenager who loved working beside his father on construction jobs. His best friend was Eddie Batzig, a bespectacled 16-year-old. The girl he wanted to bring home to meet his mother was pale, slender Justina Morley, 15.
On the evening of May 30, Justina allegedly lured Jason to the Trails, a wooded area of the working-class Fishtown section of Philadelphia along the Delaware River. She promised him sex.
The two were undressing when Eddie allegedly appeared with a hatchet. With him were two other teenage boys Jason knew. One was armed with a hammer.
According to the confession of Dominic Coia, who appeared in court recently, Jason was beaten savagely and fatally. The three young men are charged as adults with murder along with Morley, who police say was part of the plot.
As Jason lay dying, Coia told police, “We took Sweeney’s wallet out and split up the money, and we partied beyond redemption.” But first, he said, the teens shared “a group hug–it was like we were all happy with what we did.”
Like any big city, Philadelphia is accustomed to almost daily murders, some of them brutal, some committed by teenagers. But this one was different, and the accused teens’ apparent callousness and utter lack of remorse have shocked the city.
The accused killers were not high on drugs. The killing was not random. It was not a crime of passion or self-defense or a drug deal gone bad.
A police detective testified that he asked Coia, 18, whether he was high on drugs during the murder. “No, I was as sober as I am now,” he replied. “It is sick, isn’t it?”
The killers planned the crime several days in advance, according to police. They sent Morley as “the bait,” Coia told police. As Sweeney lay unconscious after the first blows, they smashed his face at least a dozen times. They left with Sweeney’s $500 weekly salary, which they spent on heroin, marijuana and the depressant Xanax.
To prepare for the killing that day, Coia told police, “we must have listened to `Helter Skelter’ about 42 times.” Mass murderer Charles Manson said the Beatles song inspired him and his followers during their 1969 killing spree in Los Angeles.
Batzig, who had been Sweeney’s best friend since 4th grade, told a detective that he hit his friend’s face four or five times with a hatchet, according to court testimony.
“Jason started begging for his life, but we just kept hitting him,” Batzig told police.
At a preliminary hearing June 17, no explanation was offered for why the killers did not simply rob Jason. Jason’s father, Paul Sweeney, thinks he knows why.
“Jealousy,” he said last week in the kitchen of his Fishtown row house. “They were jealous that Jason was moving past them, growing beyond them as a good person. He wasn’t hooked on drugs like the rest of them, and they wanted vengeance.”
Coia abused heroin, marijuana and alcohol, according to his lawyer, Lee Mandell. Morley, Batzig and Coia’s brother, Nicholas, 16, abused heroin, marijuana and prescription drugs, according to court testimony.
On the day of the killing, Dominic Coia told police that the killers left the house to hide in the woods as Morley lured Jason to the site. They put on latex gloves, Coia said.
They counted down “three, two, one,” Coia said, and then they attacked.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
