Aliquippa man convicted of contract killing in 1996 has died

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Officials announced that an Aliquippa man convicted for his role in a well-known murder-for-hire plot in Beaver County nearly 30 years ago died Friday afternoon.

According to SCI Huntingdon authorities, correctional officers found 44-year-old Trazis Durham unconscious in his cell on August 16. Medical personnel on scene attempted to help him and he was taken to Penn Highlands Hospital, but medical personnel pronounced Durham dead at 1:27 p.m. that same day.

Durham was serving a life sentence in the state penitentiary for his role in the murder-for-hire killings of William and Teresa Samuel in Aliquippa on April 11, 1996. Investigators described the plan as “detailed” and “horrific” in their 2019 testimony about the incident.