Two held for court in Uniontown homicide
Pair accused of killing house mate
Two Uniontown residents charged with the April homicide of the man with whom they lived were held for court Tuesday on all charges.
Terry Newland, 58, and Alysha Riggans, 30, are accused of conspiring to kill 71-year-old Ralph Brown at their residence on Crow Avenue in Uniontown before moving his body four days later to a nearby site on Kerr Street.
State police Trooper Nicholas Kunz played video at Tuesday鈥檚 preliminary hearing that he said showed Newland dragging a cart covered with a blanket behind him on a route near the street in the early morning of April 4, with Riggans walking alongside him.
Brown鈥檚 body was discovered near the railroad tracks on Kerr Street the next day around noon, according to court documents.
He was declared dead later that afternoon. An autopsy determined Brown had suffered trauma to the head, torso and extremities, Kunz testified.
Newland and Riggans both confessed their involvement once in police custody, but pointed to each other as the originator of the plan, Trooper Tyler Shutterly testified.
Shutterly testified that Riggans had told him Newland stabbed Brown during an argument when Brown came home after a church event, then beat him with a table.
After that, Newland ordered Riggans to tie a plastic bag around Brown鈥檚 head, according to testimony. Riggans told Shutterly she complied because she was 鈥渢errified and frightened for her life,鈥� Shutterly said Tuesday.
Riggans told Shutterly she put on plastic gloves first 鈥渂ecause she watches cop shows,鈥� Shutterly said.
Shutterly said Riggans admitted to assisting in multiple steps of the cleanup, and disposing of several items in the house, which she attributed to fear of Newland.
They moved Brown鈥檚 body and placed it under a pile of clothes at the basement of the house, where it stayed for several days before they moved it, Shutterly said.
Newland initially told Shutterly he hadn鈥檛 seen Brown since he left the house, Shutterly said. After being told he was not responsible, Newland then admitted to stabbing Brown in the neck, but said it was Riggans鈥� idea, Shutterly said.
Riggans also allegedly stole Brown鈥檚 debit cards after his death, using it to withdraw between $500 and $600. Kunz said video showed Riggans using Brown鈥檚 card at the Key Bank ATM, while banking records indicated the card continued to be used after his death.
Attorneys Brent Peck and Greg Kunkel, who represented Newland and Riggans, asked Shutterly if their clients had seemed inebriated or under the influence during questioning. Both 鈥渟eemed normal,鈥� Shutterly said.
Under cross-examination, Shutterly also said he was unaware of any witnesses who could verify the two of them had moved Brown鈥檚 body to Kerr Street.
Judge Michael Defino held all charges for court.
Motive was not discussed at Tuesday鈥檚 hearing; charging documents said both defendants attributed it to a dispute over money with Brown, though each said it involved the other person.
First Assistant District Attorney Melinda Dellarose said an explanation of motive would be introduced at trial 鈥渢o the extent we can deduce that from the evidence.鈥�
Newland and Riggans are charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence. Riggans faces an additional charge of theft and accessing a device used to obtain service.
No date had been set for their formal arraignment as of Tuesday afternoon.