Cody R. Howard

A Slippery Rock man, charged with burglarizing a home and stealing two guns from a man who was later murdered in an unrelated case, was sentenced to county prison in Butler County Court on Thursday.

Cody R. Howard, 26, was sentenced to nine to 18 months in the Butler County Prison, with 210 days time served credit, by Judge Timothy McCune, after previously pleading guilty to felony criminal trespass on Sept. 5.

He also was ordered to pay $999.63 in restitution and complete any required counseling.

Howard was initially charged with felony counts of burglary, criminal trespass and theft after an incident at a home on Tenth Street in East Butler on Nov. 24.

State police said Howard broke into the home of 74-year-old James S. Martin and stole the firearms.

The affidavit of probable cause states that Howard entered the home through the front door and stole a Colt Mustang .380-caliber handgun and a Baretta PX4 Storm handgun.

Howard admitted to Martin that he stole the weapons over text message, and was also caught on video surveillance from Martin's home, according to the document.

Howard was later arrested in Washington County in January.

He was held in the Butler County Prison on $50,000 bail, which was later decreased to $10,000, and he continued to be held.

Police questioned Howard in a homicide incident that involved Martin, who was found stabbed to death at his home on Dec. 30, but did not consider him a suspect.

An autopsy revealed that Martin had died of multiple stab wounds to the head, neck, chest and back.

Christopher M. Cannon, 27, was later charged with robbery and homicide in that incident.