Phila. man convicted in Main Line murder case

A Philadelphia man was convicted of first-degree murder last night in the January 2006 stabbing and bludgeoning death of a Main Line catering worker.

After more than five hours of deliberation, a Montgomery County jury found Jacuquin Byrd, 28, guilty of murdering Sarah Boone, who worked in the office of Cricket Catering in Ardmore. Byrd was a former employee.

His sentencing is scheduled for May 25, although he faces an automatic life sentence. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty against him.

Boone, 24, was found dead inside the business on Jan. 26, 2006. The Harcum College graduate had been stabbed with a knife and a pair of scissors and had been bludgeoned with a hammer. An autopsy determined that she had bled to death.

A small amount of DNA placed Byrd at the scene, said First Assistant District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, who helped prosecute the case. Also found was a copy of a message Boone had left for her boss, saying that Byrd had been in to ask about a job.

The strongest piece of evidence, Ferman said, was a phone call Byrd had made to the catering company at 4:27 p.m. the day of the murder.

Byrd had told police that he made the call after seeing news of the murder on television. Ferman said investigators checked with all Philadelphia-area TV stations and found that none had reported the murder before 5 p.m.

After four days of testimony, the jury deliberated more than five hours before reaching the verdict, Ferman said.

The jury's decision triggered a courtroom outburst from Byrd, who was hustled into an elevator, where he tussled with security officers.