A man admitted to killing a woman in Wilkes-Barre and is now appealing his long prison sentence in Pennsylvania.
Charles Reilly Bierly, 25, thinks his 45-to-90 year state prison term is too much for killing Judith Comisky, 52, in a plan coordinated by James “Hollywood” Alberto, 35, on Sept. 16, 2021.
Luzerne County President Judge Michael T. Vough sentenced Bierly after his plea of guilty to third-degree murder, criminal conspiracy to commit criminal homicide and illegal possession of a firearm on Nov. 22, 2023.
A jury found Alberto guilty of first-degree murder, criminal conspiracy to commit criminal homicide and burglary after a weeklong trial before Vough in November 2023. Alberto was given life in prison with no parole plus 26-to-52 years in prison.
Vough recently turned down a request by Bierly’s lawyer, John Pike, to change or reduce the sentence, leading to an appeal with the state appeals court, filed on April 2. Attorney Matthew Paul Kelly is handling Bierly’s appeal.
In his request for a revised or reduced sentence, Pike said Bierly was under the influence of fentanyl and methamphetamine when he killed Comisky and was not receiving treatment for mental illness.
Initially, Bierly claimed Alberto threatened to harm his girlfriend and kill him if he didn't kill Comisky.
However, during Alberto’s trial, Luzerne County assistant district attorneys Drew McLaughlin and Julian Truskowski showed video footage of Alberto and Bierly fist-bumping each other about an hour before Bierly killed Comisky.
Alberto, through his lawyer, Frank T. McCabe II, recently asked for a new trial by filing a post-sentence motion.
McLaughlin and Truskowski informed the jury that Alberto wanted Comisky killed because he mistakenly believed she was giving information about his criminal activities to the police.
Bierly is in jail at the State Correctional Institution at Benner Township and Alberto is in jail at the State Correctional Institution at Smithfield.
