Pittsburgh man sentenced to prison in good Samaritan killing
Through tears, the daughter of Vincent “Mystro” Kelley spoke directly to the man responsible for shooting and killing her father 12 years ago.
Sierra Kelley was one of several family members who read victim impact statements at the Washington County Courthouse Friday morning after Keith David Wilk pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and robbery.
“Today is the day I’ve waited for, I’ve contemplated about,” she said from the witness stand.
Wilk, 41, of Pittsburgh, shot and killed Vincent Kelley on June 16, 2023, as Kelley attempted to stop Wilk after he robbed the Citizens Bank inside the Giant Eagle in South Strabane Township.
Kelley, 46, of Washington, had jumped into Wilk’s vehicle, and Wilk shot him five times.
Washington County Judge John DiSalle handed Wilk a sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison for the murder charge, and a concurrent 10- to- 20-year sentence for the robbery charge. Additional charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, carrying a firearm without a license and prohibited possession of a firearm were dismissed.
During her victim impact statement, Sierra Kelley noted it had been 4,338 days since the shooting, which took place on Father’s Day.
“You stole so much more than a couple dollars from a bank in South Strabane that Father’s Day,” Sierra Kelley said.
Those who spoke described Vincent Kelley as a loving and devoted father, brother, uncle and grandfather, and a man who would help others with little hesitation.
Rebecca Kelley, Vincent Kelley’s sister-in-law, told Wilk his actions had been devastating to her family.
“It wasn’t enough that you robbed a bank. You had to go and take a life. You brought a strong, united family to knees on Father’s Day in 2013,” Rebecca Kelley said.
She went on to quote from the Bible to emphasize her belief that people are called to forgive those who have wronged them.
“Revenge is all this family wanted. Revenge is all this community wanted. But revenge is not the answer. I do believe in karma, though,” Rebecca Kelley said. “We mourned Vinny’s death everyday … Ten years later, you slipped.”
Rebecca Kelley was referencing the circumstances that led to Wilk’s arrest. Tina Vennebush, Wilk’s ex-girlfriend, reported to police that he had confessed to killing Vincent Kelley during a July 2020 phone call.
Vennebush testified at a preliminary hearing two years ago that Wilk described the incident over the phone and told her, “He had to be a hero in the crowd.”
Though Vennebush initially did not believe him, she found the details he provided matched news reports of the robbery and shooting. They broke up in January 2022, and she reported him to South Strabane police the following October.
Investigators then found a DNA sample from an umbrella left behind at the scene was a match for Wilk’s.
Also providing a victim impact statement Friday was Mark Kelley, Vincent Kelley’s brother.
“If this is what closure looks like to some degree I have to take it. This is it, this is the last thing I get to do for my brother,” Mark Kelley said.
He told Wilk that the shooting “broke me,” and described his brother as his hero.
“I’m not speaking for my family, and I’m not speaking for the community. This may be one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. To look you in the eyes and articulate the magnitude of the pain you caused,” Mark Kelley said. “You lived your life for 10 years with your freedom, and now you have to pay for what you’ve done.”
Judge DiSalle gave Wilk an opportunity to make a statement before sentencing, but Wilk declined.
Following the hearing, Mark Kelley said the family had discussed the guilty plea and likely sentence with Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh.
“We decided that was the best for the family, and pretty much for the case, instead of dragging it out for another 10 to 15 years,” Mark Kelley said.
Though Mark Kelley spoke of closure in the courtroom, he expressed he still does not feel he has it.
“There’s no closure. We’re learning how to live with it. We did get to stand in front of him, look him in the eye and speak our piece,” he said. “That helps.”