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Franciscan University murders

SOLVED1999Robinson Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On May 31, 1999, Aaron Land, 20, and Brian Muha, 18, students at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, were kidnapped from the street-level apartment they shared with fellow student Andrew Doran. At approximately 5:00 a.m., Nathan "Boo" Herring and Terrell Yarbrough, both 18 and residents of the Steubenville area, broke into the apartment and beat Land and Muha with a pistol before demanding the keys to a Chevrolet Blazer parked outside. Doran, awakened by the noise, escaped through a window and called police after briefly encountering one of the intruders.

Herring and Yarbrough forced Land and Muha into the Blazer and drove toward Pittsburgh, stopping in Robinson Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. There, Herring shot and killed both victims. The perpetrators took Muha's ATM card and cash before returning to Pittsburgh, where they attempted unsuccessfully to withdraw money. They then went to the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh, where they attacked Barbara Vey in her apartment stairwell and stole her car; Yarbrough reportedly intervened to stop Herring from shooting her, and Vey survived and later reported the attack to police.

Police located the stolen Blazer that evening; Yarbrough was captured after a brief chase, while an associate, Brandon Young, evaded capture initially but was apprehended on June 2, along with Herring. The bodies of Land and Muha were recovered on June 4, 1999, after an extensive search.

Prosecutors chose to try both defendants once each in Ohio rather than pursue separate trials in Ohio and Pennsylvania, citing efficiency and consideration for the victims' families. Herring was convicted and sentenced to life without parole in August 2000; Yarbrough was convicted and sentenced to death in September 2000. In 2004, the Supreme Court of Ohio overturned both men's murder convictions, ruling that the murder charges should have been tried in Pennsylvania, where the victims' bodies were found, while upholding their Ohio convictions for kidnapping and robbery. Both men were extradited to Pennsylvania for further proceedings on the murder charges.

In response to the ruling, Ohio enacted "Brian and Aaron's Law" in April 2005, permitting prosecution in Ohio of murder cases that begin in the state even when related criminal activity occurs elsewhere. Yarbrough's new murder trial began on October 26, 2009, in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Herring pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 8, 2010.

Key facts

Victims
Aaron Land, Barbara Vey, Brian Muha
Date
1999
Location
Robinson Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1999-05-30

    Brian Muha parks his mother's Chevrolet Blazer outside the Steubenville, Ohio apartment he shares with Aaron Land and Andrew Doran.

  2. 1999-05-31

    Nathan Herring and Terrell Yarbrough break into the apartment, kidnap Land and Muha, drive them to Washington County, Pennsylvania, and shoot them to death; the perpetrators also steal a car from Barbara Vey in Pittsburgh.

  3. 1999-06-02

    Police apprehend Brandon Young and Nathan Herring.

  4. 1999-06-04

    Bodies of Aaron Land and Brian Muha are found after an extensive search.

  5. 2000-08

    Nathan Herring is convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

  6. 2000-09

    Terrell Yarbrough is convicted and sentenced to death.

  7. 2004

    Supreme Court of Ohio overturns the murder convictions, ruling the murder charges should have been tried in Pennsylvania, while upholding Ohio convictions for kidnapping and robbery.

  8. 2005-04

    Ohio enacts 'Brian and Aaron's Law' allowing prosecution of murder cases that begin in Ohio but involve related conduct in another state.

  9. 2009-10-26

    Terrell Yarbrough's new murder trial begins in Washington County, Pennsylvania.

  10. 2010-07-08

    Nathan Herring pleads guilty and is sentenced to life imprisonment.

Best coverage

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People

  • Aaron Land

    VICTIM

    20-year-old Franciscan University student kidnapped and murdered on May 31, 1999.

  • Barbara Vey

    VICTIM

    Attacked and robbed of her car in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, by the perpetrators; survived the attack.

  • Nathan Herring

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in Ohio in 2000 of related offenses (murder conviction later overturned); pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania and sentenced to life imprisonment on July 8, 2010.

  • Brian Muha

    VICTIM

    18-year-old Franciscan University student kidnapped and murdered on May 31, 1999.

  • Terrell Yarbrough

    CONVICTED

    Convicted and sentenced to death in Ohio in 2000 (murder conviction later overturned); retried and sentenced to life in prison in Pennsylvania following an October 2009 trial.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Robinson Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania

40.3656, -80.6314

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
In May 1999, two Franciscan University students, Aaron Land and Brian Muha, were kidnapped from their Steubenville, Ohio apartment, driven to Washington County, Pennsylvania, and shot to death. Nathan Herring and Terrell Yarbrough were convicted in Ohio, but their murder convictions were overturned in 2004 on jurisdictional grounds; Yarbrough was later retried and Herring pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania, and both received life sentences.
Where did the murders happen?
Robinson Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
Who was convicted?
Nathan Herring (Convicted in Ohio in 2000 of related offenses (murder conviction later overturned); pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania and sentenced to life imprisonment on July 8, 2010.) and Terrell Yarbrough (Convicted and sentenced to death in Ohio in 2000 (murder conviction later overturned); retried and sentenced to life in prison in Pennsylvania following an October 2009 trial.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Pennsylvania

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICFranciscan University murdersWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The New York TimesThe New York Times · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — post-gazette.compost-gazette.com · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026