SMETHPORT — Brian Kuchinka was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of K-leigh Hill-Nelson, a Port Allegany woman killed in February 2025.

District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer announced the sentence following a hearing at the McKean County Courthouse. Kuchinka also received a consecutive period of incarceration for abuse of a corpse.

Kuchinka was charged by Trooper Whitney Boshart of Pennsylvania State Police, Lewis Run, after Hill-Nelson was reported missing when she did not show up for work at a nursing home.

Kuchinka was convicted of first-degree murder in August following a bench trial at the McKean County Courthouse. He had previously admitted causing Hill-Nelson’s death but denied that his actions were premeditated and intentional.

The judge found that Kuchinka’s actions showed he acted intentionally and with premeditation, supporting a conviction of first-degree murder. Kuchinka shot Hill-Nelson in the head.

At Monday’s sentencing hearing, members of Hill-Nelson’s family and District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer read statements about her and how her murder has affected them and her young son.

Kuchinka did not make a statement.

Vettenburg-Shaffer reminded the court of testimony presented at trial showing Hill-Nelson had ended the relationship and, just hours before her death, had changed the password to her social media accounts and planned to obtain a protection-from-abuse order the following week.

Hill-Nelson and her family had just been able to get Kuchinka evicted from her residence because he would not leave voluntarily. Testimony also showed Kuchinka was known to hack into her accounts and communicate with others through them.

The district attorney recounted how Kuchinka stalked Hill-Nelson before her death and on the evening she was killed by intercepting her vehicle while she was driving to work, following her into Smethport and cutting her off with the vehicle he was driving.

When Hill-Nelson tried to get other drivers to stop, Kuchinka intervened and approached them before she could, telling them she was upset and there was no problem, according to testimony.

Even after Hill-Nelson was able to leave and continued toward her job, Kuchinka, knowing her route, ran to that street and intercepted her again. This time, he got into her vehicle and, just one block from her workplace, shot her in the head. Residents on the block heard the gunshot.

Video evidence showed Kuchinka carrying Hill-Nelson’s body into the motel where she was ultimately found naked under a bed.

When police made contact with Kuchinka, he said Hill-Nelson should be fine and denied she was with him, preventing any help that could have been provided, according to the district attorney.

Vettenburg-Shaffer stressed that Kuchinka should be sentenced both for the murder and for abuse of a corpse because of what he did to Hill-Nelson’s body after killing her, including driving around with her body, disrobing her and placing her under a hotel bed, where she was found by state police.

The district attorney said Kuchinka deserved every day of the sentence he was about to receive.

The judge sentenced Kuchinka to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder and imposed a consecutive period of incarceration for abuse of a corpse, noting it was a separate crime deserving separate punishment.

“Kuchinka received the sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole because that is the only sentence the judge is allowed to impose for the crime of murder in the first degree in this case,” Vettenburg-Shaffer said.

“Pennsylvania does not allow a sentence of death except when the facts of the case prove that one of 18 factors called ‘aggravating factors’ exists in a case. None of the factors existed in this case. Going into today’s sentence, we knew that Kuchinka would receive a sentence of life in prison.

“But it was still important for the judge to hear from the victim’s family about who she was and how the defendant’s crime impacted those around her, including her father, sisters, brother, aunts and her young son. K-leigh is not a faceless victim but, rather, a woman who was loved by many, and her family will continue to grieve for her and, as many of their letters highlighted, they will also grieve for the memories that they would have had.”

At the time of Kuchinka’s conviction, Vettenburg-Shaffer thanked Boshart, the lead investigator, and the entire law enforcement team that worked on the case.

Anyone who is a victim of domestic violence can seek help through the YWCA of Bradford by calling (888) 822-6325.