JUDGE REJECTS PLEA FROM YOUNGWOOD MAN

A Westmoreland County Judge rejected the appeal of a Youngwood man who pleaded guilty in a third-degree murder case. The Trib reports that 26-year-old Michael Covington Jr. entered the appeal, claiming he was coerced into pleading guilty and accepting a deal that sentenced him to 25 to 60 years in prison. He also said that the 25 year minimum sentence was excessive. Covington admitted to his role in the stabbing of 50-year-old Matthew Genard in Youngwood back in 2017. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani ruled there was no merit to Covington’s argument.