Inset: Brian Jeffrey Shelleby (Allegheny County Jail). Background: The Castle Shannon home Shelleby admitted setting on fire in a blaze that killed his teenage daughter (WTAE).
A Pennsylvania father who acknowledged setting fire to the home he once shared with his estranged wife — an attack that killed his daughter — has been sentenced to prison.
Brian Shelleby, 47, received a sentence Thursday of 15 to 30 years behind bars after pleading guilty last month to third-degree murder and aggravated arson. Prosecutors said that on the morning of Sept. 14, 2025, Shelleby poured gasoline throughout the Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania, house where he had lived with his estranged wife, Carly Shelleby, and their 19-year-old daughter, Lakyn Shelleby, then ignited it while both women were still inside.
According to an affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, Brian Shelleby and Carly Shelleby were in the process of separating and had argued over whether he could remain in the residence.
Local ABC affiliate WTAE was at the sentencing hearing Thursday, where Carly Shelleby reportedly addressed the court and asked the judge, “How was it so easy for him to burn us alive?”
Brian Shelleby did not personally address the court. WTAE reported that his attorney, Phil DiLucente, read a statement for him that said, “To my family, my wife and my daughter, I am sorry. This should have never happened. My days are filled with flashbacks and my nights with nightmares. A part of me died along with her. I wish I could take that day back. I am just completely sorry.”
David Harris contributed to this report.
The post Dad who burned down the home of his estranged wife after she would not “let him stay,” killing their 19-year-old daughter, is headed to prison first appeared on Law & Crime.
