Man pleads guilty but suffers from mental illness in kidnapping, murder of teen in Indiana County

INDIANA, Pa. (KDKA) — A 20-year-old, one of several young adults charged in the kidnapping and murder of a teenager in Indiana County, has pleaded guilty but suffers from mental illness.

Taylyn Edwards of Johnstown pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping, upgraded to a first-degree felony, the Indiana County prosecutor announced Friday. First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Edwards was one of seven young adults charged with kidnapping and homicide in the October 2022 death of 19-year-old Hayden Garreffa. A 14-year-old girl was also charged with kidnapping.

The police said Hayden Garreffa's body was found in Brush Valley Township two days after he was reported missing from his grandmother's home in East Wheatfield Township.

Investigators said eight suspects showed up at Garreffa's home and forced him into a van. He was stabbed to death A few minutes later, police said.

The Indiana County Prosecutor's Office said the court can accept a plea of ​​guilty but of mental illness if the defendant presents sufficient evidence that he or she was suffering from mental illness at the time of the crime. The plea does not change the characterization of an offense or the mandatory sentencing guidelines, the prosecutor's office explained.

A defendant who pleads guilty but suffers from a mental illness will receive psychiatric or psychological treatment.

A sentencing hearing for Edwards is scheduled for June 19.