Uniontown woman granted bail as she awaits appeal hearing in child’s death
After spending nearly a decade in jail, a Uniontown woman sentenced to up to 19 years in prison in the death of her 23-month-old daughter is out on bond.
Andrea Dusha, 35, was granted non-monetary bond on Wednesday by Fayette County Judge Linda Cordaro. During a bail hearing on Monday, Dusha’s attorneys told the judge that she will live with her mother, her 13-year-old son and her sister in Greensburg.
Dusha’s release comes as she awaits an appeal hearing in June to determine whether she will get a new trial in the death of her daughter, Lydia Wright.
In 2016, Dusha, a Clarksville native, and her boyfriend, Michael Wright Jr., 41, originally from Waynesburg, were living in Fayette County when they were charged with the child’s death from malnutrition and dehydration.
Dusha, who pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in 2018, wants her plea and sentence vacated because prosecutors relied on a report from pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht that stated Lydia weighed 10 pounds when she died. Years later, another pathologist reviewed the evidence and testified that the weight was incorrect. Wecht acknowledged the mistake, leading both Wright and Dusha to file post-conviction appeals.
Wright’s appeal was resolved after the state attorney general’s office dismissed his third-degree murder conviction last year. He pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to time served.
Dusha’s case is still being handled by the county district attorney’s office, which is fighting the post-conviction appeal.
“This is unprecedented; I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s truly an extraordinary case,” her attorney Robert Perkins said during the bail hearing on Monday. “I think it’s an injustice that Mr. Wright is walking around free while Ms. Dusha is in chains.”
Cordaro’s order indicated Dusha, who was released from the county jail on Wednesday, had to report to the county adult probation office for pretrial services. The bail order specifically noted that Dusha did not have to wear an ankle monitor.
Neither Dusha’s attorneys nor Assistant District Attorney Melinda Dellarose, who handled the bail hearing on Monday, responded to calls for comment.