A 26-year-old former Baltimore resident will spend at least the next 16 years – and possibly the next four decades – in prison after being sentenced Tuesday for third-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Kennedy Township man on the Montour Trail in Moon Township 13 months ago.
Anthony Quesen, who also goes by the name of Antonia Quesen and identifies as a woman, learned of her legal fate Tuesday during a sentencing hearing before Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Judge Edward J. Borkowski.
Borkowski sentenced Quesen to 15 to 40 years in connection with the fatal stabbing of Benjamin Brallier on Oct. 21, 2024. Brallier, a 44-year-old liquor control enforcement officer and father of two, was off-duty at the time and running on the trail when he was attacked.
Quesen also was sentenced to one to two years for pleading guilty to an unrelated robbery that occurred at Point State Park prior to the fatal stabbing.
A district attorney’s office spokesperson said 40 years is the maximum sentence for third-degree murder and that Quesen will be required to serve a minimum of 16 years before being eligible for parole consideration. The Parole Board would determine if parole is appropriate and that those victimized by Brallier’s murder would have a right to make an impact statement at any parole hearing.
Fifteen victim impact statements were submitted to Borkowski prior to his sentencing decision, and six people read their statements in court Tuesday.
Brallier’s wife, Sarah, said in her letter that her husband’s murder has completely shattered her life and the lives of their two young daughters.
“There’s a silence in our home that now feels unbearable,” Sarah Brallier wrote. “The laughter, the music, the sound of his footsteps – all gone.”
Sarah Brallier wrote that her husband was a key cog in their neighborhood, teaching young neighbors how to ride their bikes, playing catch, cooking for block parties and helping with just about everything.
“His loss has left a hole that will never heal – in our family, our neighborhood and in the community he served so faithfully,” she wrote.
Peggy Brallier, Benjamin Brallier’s mother, noted in her impact statement that her son was a third-generation law enforcement man; his grandfather was a police chief near Johnstown and his father is a retired corporal with the state police. Peggy Brallier wrote that her son was many things to many people, “but to me, he was BJ, my boy, my youngest child, my wonderful son!”
As for Quesen, Peggy Brallier said she would like to see her “sit in jail and every day think about the life he ripped from us in the blink of an eye, and how all of our lives have changed forever.”
Quesen was arrested after Moon Township police responded to a medical call at the Montour Trail on the afternoon of Oct. 21, 2024, and found Brallier, who had sustained wounds that were consistent with some sort of an attack, according to court documents.
Brallier was transported to Heritage Valley Sewickley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Quesen was found less than a half-mile from the crime scene and was arrested the following day on a charge of criminal homicide after being hospitalized for treatment of cuts to his hands.
Quesen was declared incompetent to stand trial after her arrest and was moved to Torrance State Hospital, a public psychiatric hospital east of Pittsburgh, for treatment. Four months ago, a judge declared that Quesen’s competency had been restored.
Then on Aug. 25, Quesen pleaded guilty but mentally ill to a third-degree murder charge, which led to Tuesday’s sentencing hearing.
District Attorney Stephen Zappala acknowledged that the case greatly impacted the local community. But at the same time, Zappala said, the case “brought public attention to the county’s inability to securely, temporarily house dangerous persons in the criminal justice system who suffer from mental health issues.”
“It is my hope that Officer Brallier’s family and friends find solace and feel that justice prevailed, and that a sense of safety may be restored to our people.”
Quesen had been released on nonmonetary bail by Magisterial District Justice Xander Orenstein following the robbery at Point State Park. Several legislators called for Orenstein to resign after learning of Quesen’s release following his arrest on the murder charge.
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