Sun Sep 15 15:06:54 UTC 2024: ## Pennsylvania Man Pleads No Contest to Killing Parents with Sword
**YORK, Pa.** – Levar Fountain, 43, has pleaded no contest to third-degree murder charges in the deaths of his father, John Fountain, 74, and stepmother, Mary Fountain, 65. The incident occurred in December 2019 at the family home in York, Pennsylvania.
Fountain, who was facing first-degree murder charges, was scheduled to go to trial this week. However, he entered the no-contest pleas, avoiding the trial and a potential life sentence without parole. He will now be sentenced on November 8th.
Authorities believe Fountain used a sword, found in his bedroom, to kill his parents. According to investigators, he was off his schizophrenia medication at the time of the murders. He reportedly moved the bodies to the basement, left a note on the door stating that the couple had moved to Florida, and stayed in his room for three days. He also killed the family dogs, claiming they were “known as ‘God’ but spelled backwards, which made them lower class dragons and they had to be killed.”
While some family members, including Fountain’s sister Caren, have stated their belief that he would never harm his parents, citing his mental health, Fountain’s attorney, Clasina Houtman, declined to comment on the case. Houtman did mention that her office had filed paperwork to use an insanity defense had the trial proceeded.
A no-contest plea allows the defendant to avoid admitting guilt while acknowledging the prosecution’s ability to secure a conviction. Attorneys in the case agree that Fountain’s mental state at the time of the murders prevents him from remembering the events.
First Piper 