SUNBURY - Accused murderer Miranda Barbour, 19, of Selinsgrove, will appear for formal arraignment at 9 a.m. Tuesday before Northumberland County President Judge William H. Wiest.
Her 22-year-old husband, Elytte Barbour, who also is charged by Sunbury police in the murder of 42-year-old Troy LaFerrara of Port Trevorton, has waived his right to arraignment in the Court of Common Pleas. With that, his next legal proceeding is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Feb. 5, when a hearing will be held before Judge Charles Saylor to decide if the commonwealth will be responsible for paying for a psychiatrist to determine if Elytte Barbour is competent to stand trial.
At his wife's arraignment, the criminal homicide and other charges filed in the case will be read to the defendant and her attorney Edward Greco, who serves as county chief public defender. The proceeding is scheduled to be brief, but heavy security is expected due to the circumstances surrounding the high-profile case.
The newlywed couple, who recently moved to Selinsgrove from North Carolina, are accused of planning to kill LaFerrara by luring him into their vehicle Nov. 11 in the parking lot at the Susquehanna Valley Mall after the environmental engineer answered an advertisement on Craigslist placed by Miranda Barbour offering companionship.
Police said Miranda Barbour is accused of stabbing LaFerrara approximately 20 times, while her husband allegedly strangled him with a cable after springing from his hiding place in the back seat of their vehicle. LaFerrara's body was dumped in a backyard of a home in the 200 block of Catawissa Avenue, where it was discovered by neighbors at about 11:30 a.m. Nov. 12.
Miranda Barbour remains incarcerated at Northumberland County Prison, while her husband, who is represented by county independent conflicts counsel James Best, is being housed at Columbia County Prison in Bloomsburg.