Courtney Enters Guilty Plea In Gerlach Murder
by Amanda
Echo News Editor
On Tuesday, an area man was sentenced to decades in jail following his admission of guilt in a murder case involving an Emporium woman.
Michael Fuller Courtney, age 35, entered a guilty plea to one count of murder in the third degree, and was sentenced to serve between 18 and 36 years in a state correctional institution by President Judge Richard Masson.
Deborah Lynn Gerlach, age 45, was murdered in her home on South Wood Street in the Emporium Borough on the evening of October 26, 2016. According to Courtney’s statements to police, the two were playing a game called “Tit for Tat” that has participants copying each other’s acts, with the chosen actions increasing in severity throughout the length of the game.