Stepson who admits to killing Parma man receives 15 year prison sentence

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Lance Mitchel plead guilty Tuesday to first-degree manslaughter in the killing of his stepfather and was then sentenced to 15 years in prison.

His stepfather William “Billy” Mason, 69, disappeared from his Parma home in 2021. His remains were found in a fire pit behind his home.

Mitchel was charged with murder weeks later. His sister, Dawn Mitchel, was charged with tampering evidence and concealment of a human corpse. Her case is pending.

Mitchel’s attorney Frank Ciardi said that he doesn’t have a formal statement but was happy to provide the following comments for my coverage:

“To be candid, he took responsibility for the crime. Obviously, this is difficult for him and his family. As he set forth in plea, he said he ‘snapped’. If he could go back, he wouldn’t have made that decision. He wishes he could take it back,” said Ciardi. “I’d like people to also know he’s a decorated war veteran, Bronze Star, two tours in Iraq, important to the country, despite what happened. I don’t want people to forget, this is a decorated war veteran, who served successfully. I’m sure some of what he saw did affect him.”