Pa. hostage-taker who posted on Facebook during ordeal is sentenced to 6-15 years in prison

Published January 13, 2015

A man who took a hostage at a downtown Pittsburgh skyscraper and posted to Facebook during the six-hour ordeal has been sentenced to between six and 15 years in state prison.

Twenty-three-year-old Klein Michael Thaxton, of McKeesport, was sentenced Wednesday on kidnapping, ransom, aggravated assault and other charges.

Police say Thaxton was off his medication for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression when he held a 59-year-old businessman hostage in September. He later surrendered peacefully.

In July, Thaxton was also charged with attacking another inmate at the Allegheny County Jail.

Kirsha Weyandt, Thaxton's court-appointed defense attorney, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/pa-hostage-taker-who-posted-on-facebook-during-ordeal-is-sentenced-to-6-15-years-in-prison