By admin 
A man was sentenced Tuesday to at least two years in state prison for what a prosecutor described as a targeted, middle-of-the-night home invasion in a typically quiet neighborhood.
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Braxdyn L. Landrum, 26, of Blair County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by Centre County Judge Julia Rater to a maximum of eight years in prison. He received credit for two days served in the Centre County Correctional Facility and was ordered to pay $13,450 in restitution.
“I’m truly sorry for anything they had to go through,” Landrum said before learning his sentence. “… I never wish that upon anyone.”
Landrum did not dispute that he waited in ankle-deep snow and frigid February temperatures until about 2 a.m., when the State College homeowners turned off their interior lights, before shattering a sliding glass door and breaking in.
Centre County Deputy District Attorney Matt Metzger said Landrum intended to steal a pair of watches, which borough police said were worth a combined $21,000. Landrum previously cleaned the Crabapple Drive home for the family.
But instead of a heist, Landrum was confronted by a shocked 74-year-old homeowner who asked the masked man “What are you doing in my house?” A physical altercation followed, awaking the man’s son who then came to his father’s aid.
After Landrum claimed he had a gun, the two pushed him through the glass door. He fled, but was arrested in a parking lot along West College Avenue, about three-quarters of a mile away from the home.
The 74-year-old was left with several lacerations and a concussion that has since affected his ability to work as a physician assistant. Metzger said one of the lacerations is believed to have been caused by a sledgehammer Landrum brought with him.
The man’s son had an abrasion on his forehead, as well as cuts on his knuckles.
Beyond their physical injuries, the men said in written statements that they are still shaken by what they described as “extreme violence.” The 74-year-old has lived in the Greentree neighborhood for about four decades and said he could not recall a similar crime.
“Our lives have been turned upside down,” he said in a statement read on his behalf.
The family has since installed a sophisticated security system inside the home. The man’s wife said she was in shock when she found her husband bloodied.
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“It was horrible,” she said. “… I have probably seen it in a film, but not in real life.”
Landrum pleaded no contest to a felony robbery charge. The plea meant he accepted the conviction but did not admit guilt. Eight charges, including criminal trespassing and simple assault, were dropped as part of the agreement.
Metzger sought a five- to 10-year prison sentence, taking the rare step of seeking the maximum sentence allowed by law. He pointed to 11 factors that he believed warranted such a sentence, from Landrum waiting in the darkness and targeting people he knew to the violent escalation when he was confronted and the family’s ongoing anxiety.
“The lasting harm in this case therefore cannot be measured solely by the property that was or was not taken,” Metzger wrote in a memo to the judge. “Defendant entered the home of people who had trusted him, attacked two members of their family, traumatized a third, and forever altered the way these victims experience the place they once considered their sanctuary.”
Defense attorney Michael Sylvester argued house arrest or probation. He said Landrum is a father of two girls, had no prior criminal history and that the robbery was “out of character.”
Landrum’s parents, step-mother, sister and partner were among those who spoke on his behalf and asked Rater for leniency. Several apologized for what they called a tragedy and described him as a loving father.
His father said Landrum was in the midst of a “medical crisis” and cannot remember what happened. A memo submitted Landrum’s attorney said he was diagnosed with ADHD, diabetes and severe asthma.
Those arguments didn’t appear to carry much weight with Rater, who said she extended the sentence to eight years because she said Landrum needs to “stay on the straight and narrow.” Even if he is released from prison after two years, the remaining six would be spent on parole.
“You knew them,” the judge said. “They previously trusted you.”
After learning his sentence, Landrum tearfully said goodbye to his family, including his 1-year-old daughter, and was led away from the Centre County Courthouse in handcuffs.
This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 3:11 PM with the headline “Masked man who once cleaned family’s home gets prison for nighttime break-in.”
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