Prosecutors say a Pennsylvania man convicted of murder and under investigation for his missing girlfriend gave numerous accounts of what happened to his deceased wife.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, a jury found 48-year-old Brian Giles guilty Thursday of first-degree murder and aggravated assault for the death of his wife, Nancy Giles. Testimony during the trial stated that fractures from blunt force trauma on the front and back of Nancy’s skull could have killed her,
“He disposed of her body with the same degradation he showed in the years prior for her,” Cambria County Assistant District Attorney Jessica Aurandt said. “Giles had the motive, the opportunity and the stories ready.
A day after the guilty verdict, a warrant was executed citing “specific information” for Giles’s apartment, in the 500 block of Franklin Street in Johnstown’s Kernville area. Human remains were found during the investigation.
Investigators searched the residence following a tip that a body might be hidden in the basement, according to The Tribune-Democrat.
Gile’s girlfriend, Jilly Todaro, has not been seen or heard from since December 2022.
The defendant and his wife lived at the residence when Nancy disappeared in October 2018. Nancy’s remains were discovered in May 2019, buried in a shallow grave along a trail on the Inclined Plane hillside in downtown Johnstown.
Todaro, who also resided in the Franklin Street apartment, was reportedly dating the defendant when Nancy Giles vanished. So far, police have not indicated whether Todaro’s disappearance is linked to the recent discovery of human remains.
“This is going to be a lengthy investigation and methodical process in removing these remains,” Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees said.
Lees added that the remains were found about two to three feet beneath the dirt surface of a basement crawlspace. It took investigators around three hours to locate the remains and several hours for extraction.
After the removal, the remains were transported to ForensicDx in Windber for an autopsy. Afterward, the remains will be sent to Mercyhurst University in Erie for further forensic analysis.
Meanwhile, Giles continues to maintain his innocence.
“Nope, I’m innocent, but if this is what they want to do let them do it, man,” he said. “I’ve been railroaded before. It’s all good. There ain’t nothing I can hope for, right? Everybody got what they wanted.”
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Brian Giles and Jilly Todaro/Police Handout]
Additional reporting by Shanon Quaranta
