A 71-year-old Connellsville man will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison after a Fayette County judge sentenced him to 20 to 40 years for shooting and killing his wife.
Charles Lenn Sok pleaded guilty to third-degree murder last month in the death of Debra Sok, 56, on July 2, 2022. Sok told police he shot his wife at the couple’s home on Morrell Avenue in Connellsville because he thought she had cheated on him.
Video surveillance from a neighbor showed Debra Sok returning home and entering through a side door at the house. Minutes later, two gunshots were heard before she came out of the house screaming for help, according to police.
Charles Sok initially faced the general charge of criminal homicide. That general charge includes first-, second- and third-degree murder, and involuntary and voluntary manslaughter. In trial, a jury must decide which, if any, of those categories of homicide apply.
In the case of a plea, prosecutors and defense attorneys typically agree upon which level of criminal homicide applies.
Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said the family is satisfied with the sentence.
“The family wanted to avoid a trial,” said Aubele. “We just wanted Sok to accept responsibility for what he did.”
Although Sok tried to get the prosecution to agree to a no contest plea several times during the case, Aubele said prosecutors would not accept anything less than a guilty plea. A no contest plea means that a defendant acknowledges that there is enough evidence for conviction, but does not require an admission of guilt. For the purposes of sentencing, however, a no contest plea is treated the same as a guilty plea.
His sentence, handed down by Judge Nancy D. Vernon, is the maximum incarceration period allowed. Sok also received credit for 677 days spent in prison, as he has been behind bars since his arrest.
The Herald-Standard was unable to reach Sok’s defense attorneys Phyllis Ann Jin or Michael Ford or comment.
