Pa CEO Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder in Brother-in-Law Lobby Shooting
A Lycoming County jury deliberated less than an hour on Nov. 13, 2026, before finding Cable Services Co. chief executive Kenneth R. Michaels guilty of first-degree murder in the 2023 shooting death of his brother-in-law, John Roskowski, pennlive.com reported.
The verdict means Michaels, 69, of Montoursville, faces an automatic life sentence without parole. Jurors also convicted him of possessing a concealed weapon following a six-day trial that centered on an Aug. 17, 2023, confrontation in the lobby of the family-owned telecommunications business.
Judge Eric R. Linhardt scheduled sentencing for Feb. 12 to give families an opportunity to be heard, rejecting a defense request for immediate sentencing, pennlive.com reported. First-degree murder carries an automatic life term.
Michaels admitted from the outset that he killed Roskowski, 68, but maintained he acted in self-defense after his brother-in-law forced his way into the Williamsport administrative offices. Defense attorney Michael J. Rudinski argued there was a lack of malice and intent, characterizing Roskowski as mentally unstable and under the influence of medications on the day of the shooting.
“He was a man trying to survive,” Rudinski told jurors, pointing out that the gun was in Michaels’ left pocket despite the CEO being right-handed.
District Attorney Martin L. Wade countered that the killing was premeditated murder rather than a defensive encounter. Wade emphasized that Roskowski was unarmed and never made physical contact or issued direct threats.
“If Michaels actually was afraid of his brother-in-law as the defense claimed, why did he open the locked door for him?” Wade asked the jury during his closing argument.
Defense attorney E.J. Rymsza called the jury’s decision devastating and confirmed plans to appeal following the formal sentencing hearing.
“It certainly does not end the fight,” Rymsza told pennlive.com. “It’s just the beginning. The verdict is not the same as the truth.”