Justin Vellucci stories, Page 34
Opinions in Jewish community differ on seeking death penalty for Pittsburgh synagogue shooter
Robert Bowers murdered Donna Coufal’s friend. But she doesn’t want him to be executed for it. “I hope that, whatever happens in (Bowers’) trial, people find peace,” said Coufal, 69, a member of Congregation Dor Hadash who lives in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill. “And I hope no other jury would have...
Pittsburgh woman guilty of involuntary manslaughter in stabbing death of husband
An Allegheny County Common Pleas judge found a Brighton Heights woman guilty but mentally ill on Monday for fatally stabbing her husband in December 2020 and wrapping his corpse in garbage bags and duct tape. Janet L. Winbush, 53, a North Side resident who grew up in Grove City, Mercer...
Former Highmark Health employee accused of draining thousands from health savings accounts
Authorities are seeking a former Highmark Health employee in South Carolina who they say used her job with the health care giant to withdraw or attempt to withdraw nearly $90,000 from eight victims’ health savings accounts. Zakayah A. Scott, 23, of Columbia, S.C., has been charged with nine counts of...
Carnegie Mellon professor reflects on 2022 Titanic trip on same sub that imploded
Alex Waibel fiddled with his computer and a headset-mounted microphone that transcribed his every word. And he waited. And waited. Around 8 a.m. July 14, 2022, the Carnegie Mellon University professor boarded OceanGate’s Titan submersible — the same one that would implode deep below the surface of the north Atlantic...
2nd suspect arrested in 2021 Pitcairn shooting death, police say there are 2 more
Police have arrested a second suspect in the 2021 fatal shooting of a young man in Pitcairn — and they’re looking for two more people they say are also responsible for his death. Finel Javon Thompson, 21, of Wall, was charged Friday with criminal homicide, tampering with evidence, recklessly endangering...
Shadyside stabbing suspect’s bond revoked, judge orders him back to jail
A district judge on Thursday revoked a Shadyside man’s bond and ordered him back to Allegheny County Jail after the district attorney’s office said he presented a threat to the community. Jasper Jacob Hilliard, 21, faces charges including attempted homicide in connection with the stabbing of a 72-year-old man on...
Pittsburgh woman says she stabbed husband in self-defense, doesn’t recall wrapping body in garbage bags
An attorney for Janet L. Winbush said the woman with a long and well-documented history of mental illness fatally stabbed her husband in self-defense in December 2020 after years of domestic abuse. Prosecutors argue that Winbush had planned to kill Deric Bryan Davis, 53, and then, after she did, she...
Officials ID man pulled from Allegheny River
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday identified the man whose body was pulled out of the Allegheny River as Charles Palermo. Palermo, 67, whose hometown is unknown, was pulled from the river near Washington’s Landing in Troy Hill on Monday morning. He was pronounced dead at 7:07 a.m.,...
Tarentum man, a fugitive since 2020, arrested
A Tarentum man who has been a fugitive since 2020 was arrested Tuesday by Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus said. Jeffrey Shutak, 53, was charged in July 2019 after police responded to a domestic disturbance at his home, Kraus said. Shutak faced charges of endangering the...
Synagogue attack verdict brings out range of emotions in Pittsburgh Jewish community
David Knoll sat in his Squirrel Hill home Friday morning, waiting for the news to break. He wanted confirmation of what he already knew: Robert Bowers committed hate crimes against Jews when he killed 11 congregants inside the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018. Then, at 11:52 a.m.,...
Split verdict reached in case against Homewood man in connection with police shootout
A jury reached a split verdict Monday on charges against a Hazelwood man who engaged in a shootout with Pittsburgh police in May 2022. Jurors found Michael Tyrone Waller, 36, not guilty of attempted homicide, assault on a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault of two Pittsburgh police officers, Allegheny...
Air quality in Western Pa. continues to improve, could return to normal levels by Monday
With Canadian wildfires still burning and sending smoke into the Northeast, a government website has proved to be a valuable, easy-to-use resource for people looking for the latest information about air quality in their communities. The website AirNow.gov allows users to search for air quality data by city, state or...
Pittsburgh Regional Transit riders involved in November crash sue driver who struck bus
Two Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus riders involved in a head-on crash in November sued the driver who hit them Thursday in the Court of Common Pleas. Victoria Coleman, of the Hill District, and John Peters, who listed his home address as the H. John Heinz III Department of Veterans Affairs...
Wilkinsburg man gets 17½ to 40 years for 2022 killing in Homewood
A Wilkinsburg man was sentenced Thursday to 17½ to 40 years in prison for killing a man in Homewood last year. Khatrell Haynes-Morgan, 20, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and aggravated assault in March after reaching a plea deal with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, court records show. As...
2 men convicted in Downtown Pittsburgh killing of 18-month-old
De’Avry Thomas was a happy toddler. “He never really cried,” said Khalil G. Darden, Jr., 22, of Pittsburgh, the boy’s godfather. “He always wanted to have fun. He was always smiling.” De’Avry just 18 months old, was killed in a drive-by shooting Downtown over Memorial Day Weekend in 2022. On...
1 hospitalized, 1 in custody after shooting in Clairton
One person was hospitalized after a shooting Wednesday afternoon in Clairton. The shooting happened around 2:30 p.m. in the 4300 block of Bataan Avenue, Allegheny County Police said. First responders found one manwith what police called a non-life-threatening injury to the knee. The man, who was not identified, was taken...
Western Pa. air quality worsens as Canadian wildfires continue to burn
Air quality in Western Pennsylvania dropped to unhealthy levels Wednesday and could remain that way until at least Sunday as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to pollute the Northeast. Pittsburgh’s air quality index, or AQI, hit 155 around 3 p.m., according to the government website AirNow.gov. The reading had dropped...
McKeesport woman charged in connection with death of man found wrapped in plastic
A McKeesport woman was taken into police custody Tuesday in connection with the murder of Donte Glover, a 36-year-old man who was found dead and wrapped in plastic. Lindsey Jackson, 37, is facing charges of homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office said. Jackson...
Pittsburgh man told investigators he stabbed man in Shadyside ‘out of convenience,’ police say
A Pittsburgh man faces attempted homicide and other charges after police said he told them that he stabbed a man “out of convenience” over the weekend in Shadyside. Jasper Jacob Hilliard, 21, of Shadyside, was awaiting medical clearance Tuesday afternoon to be taken to Allegheny County Jail, according to Public...
Medical examiner IDs man killed in Wilkinsburg shooting
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified a man who was shot to death Saturday night in Wilkinsburg. Michael Anthony Tomlin, 32, of Verona, was found with a gunshot wound around midnight Saturday in the 1300 block of Franklin Avenue, according to Allegheny County Police. Authorities pronounced Tomlin dead...
40 Pittsburgh schools to shift to remote learning Thursday due to heat
Pittsburgh Public Schools plans to temporarily close 40 district schools in favor of remote learning Thursday because of anticipated high temperatures. For a list of the affected schools, which officials said do not have sufficient air-conditioning, click here: www.pghschools.org/Page/6250. Students from those schools will receive virtual instruction on Thursday and...
Antisemitic stickers found in Squirrel Hill park on 1st day of synagogue shooting trial
Antisemitic stickers were found in a Squirrel Hill park Tuesday, as the much-anticipated Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial got underway. About 15 stickers were removed from utility poles and other public surfaces at Wightman Park, and the stickers also have been found in Schenley Park, along Beechwood Boulevard, and in Oakland,...
A decade later, Trib still seeking answers in the death of employee who had gone missing
Dan Niehaus was a quiet man who preferred to keep a low profile. People who knew him hope new information emerges that could help break the silence surrounding circumstances of his disappearance a decade ago. Robert Miklos said he and Niehaus worked side-by-side for several years tying up bundles of...
McKeesport teen suspected in 2021 shooting arrested in Pittsburgh’s West End, sheriff says
A McKeesport teen wanted in connection with the 2021 shooting of a girl in Clairton has been arrested, Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus said Friday. Anthony Gibson, 18, was charged in May 2021 after police said he fired multiple shots near the Soft Serve and Dee-Lights ice cream shop...
Pittsburgh school board member critical of superintendent’s response to Oliver violence
A Pittsburgh school board member whose district includes Oliver Citywide Academy accused the superintendent of being “more concerned with the aesthetics of looking good in public than taking any real action” a day after a deadly shooting at the Marshall-Shadeland school. Oliver student Jaymier Perry, 15, of Hays, faces homicide...
