Pennsylvania man charged in slayings

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. -- The brother of a man accused of sexually molesting his daughters was ordered held without bail on murder charges Friday in the shooting deaths of the two girls and their mother.

Police said Scott Wholaver told them he drove his brother, Ernest, nearly halfway across the state from Cambria County to the house in Middletown, near Harrisburg, where the victims lived.

Scott Wholaver said he stayed in the truck while Ernest Wholaver went toward the house before dawn Dec. 24, and that his brother was shaking when he returned five or 10 minutes later, a police affidavit said.

"It is our belief that (Scott Wholaver) was a conspirator in the murder," prosecutor Edward M. Marsico Jr. said. "However, it is our belief at this time that he is not the actual triggerman in these homicides."

Scott Wholaver, 28, was not represented by an attorney at his arraignment.

The bodies of Jean Wholaver, 42, and her daughters, Victoria, 20, and Elizabeth, 15, were found Christmas morning. Each had been shot in the head. Victoria Wholaver's 9-month-old daughter was unharmed and now is staying with her father.

Police have described Ernest Wholaver, 42, as a suspect. He had been free on bail pending trial later this month on the molestation charges, but he was jailed Thursday after his bail was revoked.

Ernest Wholaver's attorney, Spero T. Lappas, said his client maintains his innocence. "He will strenuously defend himself against all allegations and wrongdoing," Lappas said.

Documents detailing the sexual abuse charges say the sisters were afraid to come forward because they feared he would harm them.