Justice Served: Tormentors of Sewickley Man Sentenced to Prison for Brutal Kidnapping and Torture

Two individuals, Autumn Goehring and Joseph Dici, have been handed significant prison sentences for their roles in the horrific torture and kidnapping of a Sewickley man. The harrowing ordeal, stemming from a purported drug debt, saw the victim, Dustin Miller, subjected to unimaginable brutality that left him with severe physical and psychological scars.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge David R.

Cashman delivered the sentences, with Goehring, 30, receiving a term of 10 to 20 years in state prison. Her co-defendant, Dici, 31, was sentenced to 8 to 16 years. Both had previously pleaded guilty to a litany of charges, acknowledging their culpability in the shocking crime that unfolded in a Coraopolis apartment in January 2022.

Goehring admitted guilt to aggravated assault, kidnapping, robbery, and conspiracy.

Dici pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy. The prosecution highlighted the chilling premeditation and sadism involved, painting a grim picture of the events that transpired over a terrifying span of hours.

The court heard how Dustin Miller was held captive, viciously beaten, burned with heated objects, repeatedly cut, and even had teeth forcibly extracted without anesthesia.

His tormentors filmed portions of the abuse, adding another layer of cruelty to the already barbaric acts. It was only through a desperate act of courage that Miller managed to escape his captors, fleeing the apartment to seek help.

The impact of the torture extended far beyond physical wounds.

Miller's mother, addressing the court during the sentencing, spoke tearfully of her son's enduring trauma. She described how the once vibrant young man had been irrevocably altered by the ordeal, grappling with ongoing pain, fear, and the profound psychological aftershocks of what he endured. His life, she emphasized, would never be the same.

Judge Cashman, in his remarks, underscored the exceptional barbarity of the crime.

He noted that the actions of Goehring and Dici went far beyond a typical assault, constituting a deliberate and prolonged session of torture designed to inflict maximum pain and terror. The judge emphasized that such depraved acts warrant severe punishment, not only to ensure justice for the victim but also to deter similar horrors in the community.

Investigators revealed that the motive behind the prolonged torment was a drug debt owed by Miller, reportedly for heroin.

This tragic intersection of addiction and extreme violence underscores the dark underbelly of the drug trade and its devastating consequences. The sentencing brings a measure of closure to the legal proceedings, but for Dustin Miller and his family, the journey of healing from the scars of that terrible day continues.