Article: 'Obit burglar' gets sentence shortened // Still likely to spend rest of his life behind bars

Using a wooden cane to steady his steps, the "obit burglar," now 74, returned to Lancaster County Court Friday to have 1 to 2 years taken off a prison term his attorney calls "a life sentence."

Ronald Bruce Diaz was sentenced last year to spend 12 to 24 years in Somerset state prison for burglarizing the homes of surviving family members who were attending the funerals of their loved ones. Investigators say Diaz found out when the mourners would be away from their homes by reading the obituary section of the newspaper.

Diaz is still serving a prison sentence of 6 to 12 years for similar crimes in Berks, Schuylkill and Chester counties. He must serve that sentence before he begins serving his ...

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