Suvechha Sarkar
The episode titled ‘Spoiled to Death’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘American Monster’ dives deep into the horrifying murder of 67-year-old Margaret Ann Sumney at her home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2019. The shocking crime sent ripples of devastation through her family, especially her daughters, who were left to grapple with an unthinkable betrayal. As investigators pieced together the gruesome details, they uncovered the chilling truth that her cherished son, David Lee Sumney, was responsible for her tragic end.
David Lee Sumney Was Taken Into Custody Soon After the Murder
David Lee Sumney was born on April 26, 1989, to Margaret and David Sunmey Sr., filling their lives with joy. From an early age, he was the apple of their eyes and was adored by his stepsisters — Peggy Prosseda and Ellen Micenko. As he started growing up, he began asking for money, and his demands only increased with time. When his parents decided to split in 2008, he allegedly kept playing them against one another because his father could get him what he wanted. Soon after, things started going downhill as he started showing his violent side. In 2015, he was arrested by the police for brutally assaulting his father, and he did not stop there. He was arrested again for assaulting his mother on November 20, 2016, and was sentenced to jail for 8 to 16 months. Although everyone assumed he was gradually improving, that was not the case.
After David’s major leg injury, he allegedly started speaking about Margaret, indicating that she was progressing quickly with Dementia or forgetfulness. It appeared that he wanted to take charge of her financial affairs and have access to her money. Meanwhile, on September 1, 2019, his family received the tragic news of their uncle’s passing. When Margaret’s sister, Ann, could not reach her to convey this news, she informed her daughter, Ellen. When her daughter also failed to get a hold of her, she reportedly called David around 8:30 AM. He informed her that he was in Margaret’s house. Since it was so early, Ellen became suspicious. Upon inquiring, he told her that he just “stopped by.” When she wanted to talk to her mother, David informed her that Margaret was sleeping. As the hours passed by, she got increasingly worried and ultimately called in for a welfare check around 10:57 AM on September 2, 2019.
As the officials reached the scene, they found that the rooms had blood everywhere, but she was not present either in the kitchen or the living room. When they went upstairs, they found Margaret’s remains in the bathtub. The autopsy reports revealed that the cause of her death was blunt force trauma to the head and neck, marking the case as a homicide. When Ellen called David to inform him about the tragedy, he already knew about it. This raised suspicion since no one had told him about this tragic incident. She allegedly realized that he was the killer and started helping the police. On September 4, 2019, he was finally detained, and the detectives found Margaret’s blank cheques and possessions at his hotel. Following this, David was charged with six counts of theft by unlawful taking, one count of robbery, one count of abuse of a corpse, and one count of criminal homicide.
David Lee Sumney is Currently Behind Bars, Serving 20 Years in Prison
During the investigation, David remained completely tightlipped. However, with further forensic research of his phone, 277 pictures of Margaret were reportedly discovered. His Google searches like, “How long does it take before a body starts to decompose?” and “How long do you wait to dispose of a body?” indicated his intent to hide her remains. All these served as evidence during his trial, which commenced once the experts declared him legally sane. The prosecutors originally prepared to seek a first-degree murder conviction, which could have led him to a life sentence without any possibility of parole or even the death penalty.
However, as the non-jury trial progressed, a significant plea deal from David changed its course. He pleaded guilty to third-degree homicide in August 2022. The plea agreement signified that all the other charges against him would be dismissed. However, Margaret’s family claimed that the way she was killed, followed by David’s actions, merited a first-degree murder charge. They felt that he wanted to torture her and see her suffer. However, the prosecution stated that proving pre-meditated homicide would be very difficult. This was because his heinous act may have stemmed from an argument or a fit of rage rather than a carefully planned murder. The defense also pointed out David’s struggles with drug addiction and argued that substance abuse had played a major role in this violent behavior.
After David’s plea deal was accepted, his potential sentence was significantly reduced to 20 to 40 years. The charges of first-degree murder, counts of theft by unlawful taking, and the abuse of a corpse were all dismissed. Finally, in November 2022, David was sentenced to 20 years in prison for third-degree murder. However, he had 17 years left to serve since he was already in prison for three years during the trial. This enraged Margaret’s family, who were not happy with the judgment, and they sent in multiple requests to overturn the plea deal. However, the judge upheld his decision, leaving Margaret’s daughters and sister feeling that this was not enough of a punishment. At present, David Sumney is serving his sentence at SCI Greene Prison, which is located in Franklin Township, Pennsylvania.
