Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 3
Hempfield man sentenced in murder-for-hire plot against sister
A Hempfield man was sentenced Tuesday to serve at least eight years in prison for an attempt to have his sister killed in what prosecutors said was a scheme to secure their mother’s estate for himself. Peter John Cute, 65, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to solicitation to commit murder....
Stanko testifies, says another person responsible for Gross’ disappearance
Thomas G. Stanko took the witness stand Tuesday and disavowed any role in the disappearance or murder of his former girlfriend, Cassandra Gross. During more than three hours of testimony in Westmoreland County court, he attempted to place blame for her fate on another man and repeatedly offered to take...
Jail informants testify Stanko admitted to killing Cassandra Gross
Two jailhouse informants testified in Westmoreland County court Monday that, while they were incarcerated together, Thomas G. Stanko confessed to the 2018 killing of Cassandra Gross. The alleged jailhouse confessions highlighted the sixth day of Stanko’s homicide trial. Stanko, 55, is charged with criminal homicide and reckless burning in connection...
Jury hears evidence of burned belongings, power of attorney in Thomas Stanko murder trial
As the investigation into the disappearance of Cassandra Gross closed in on a suspect, the man eventually charged in her killing started to prepare for his potential arrest, according to evidence presented during the fifth day in the murder trial of Thomas G. Stanko. Stanko, 55, of Unity, is on...
Prosecutors reveal last images of Cassandra Gross, attempt to link boyfriend to her killing
An image of Cassandra Gross in a black-and-white-striped sweater with a bag of work documents under her arm marks the last time she was seen alive, her high school friend testified Thursday. Westmoreland County prosecutors contend Thomas G. Stanko, 55, of Unity killed Gross, 51, after she was to meet...
Thomas Stanko trial: Cassandra Gross’ mother testifies about possessive relationship
Kathe Gross took an immediate dislike to the man her daughter, Cassandra Gross, was dating in 2017 and 2018. During the first day of testimony in the trial of the man charged with her daughter’s murder, Kathe Gross told a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday that she found Thomas G. Stanko...
Attorney claims jury erred in conviction of roommate in Penn Township shooting
A North Versailles woman claims a Westmoreland County jury reached the wrong verdict when it convicted her last year of the attempted murder of her Penn Township roommate. In an appeal filed this week, the lawyer for Leah Gillis said jurors failed to adequately consider testimony that suggested the gun...
Trial set for daughter, shooting suspect in St. Clair murder-for-hire case
Opening statements and testimony in the trial of a New Florence woman charged with ordering the murder of her mother, along with one of the two men alleged to have fired the fatal shots, are set to begin Monday, Feb. 9. The 12-person jury and four alternates who will hear...
Jurors in Thomas Stanko trial can hear evidence that Cassandra Gross was declared dead in 2019
In a key ruling Tuesday, a Westmoreland County judge decided that jurors in the Thomas G. Stanko criminal homicide trial may hear limited evidence that his former girlfriend, Cassandra Gross, was legally declared dead in 2019. Following a hearing, Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Stewart II ruled details of the...
Guilty plea appealed again in Jeannette football stadium shooting
A Jeannette man serving a 25-year prison sentence for the shooting death of a romantic rival has appealed his conviction. The incident occurred outside of Jeannette’s high school football stadium in 2019. Greg A. Harper, 46, unsuccessfully attempted last year to withdraw a guilty plea to third-degree murder. He entered...
Jury seated in Westmoreland County for trial of Thomas Stanko in 2018 death of Cassandra Gross
It took nearly eight years to bring Thomas G. Stanko to a courtroom in the death of Cassandra Gross, but it took only a single day to choose the 12 people who will decide his fate. Seven men and five women were seated Monday in Westmoreland County to serve as...
Jury selection set to begin for Thomas Stanko, charged in Unity woman’s deathVideo
Jury selection in the criminal homicide trial of a Unity man charged with killing his former girlfriend is scheduled to begin Monday morning in a Westmoreland County courtroom. Thomas G. Stanko, 55, was charged in 2022 with criminal homicide in connection with the disappearance of Cassandra Gross five years earlier....
Westmoreland judge weighs extension of decade-long stay for former LECOM student
A former medical student convicted nine years ago of sexually assaulting a Seton Hill University student is seeking to extend a nearly decade-long delay in his sentence. Jerry Chai’s attorney told a Westmoreland County judge Friday that the 2017 sentence violates his client’s constitutional rights. The defense argues that the...
Hempfield woman charged in husband’s shooting death pushes for speedy trial
The lawyer for a Hempfield woman accused in the October shooting death of her husband said he’s ready for a fast-tracked trial to begin in March. Leeann Steel, 51, has been in jail without bond since her arrest following what prosecutors said was the murder of her husband. William Steel,...
Lawsuit claims parents allowed ‘party house’ that led to fatal dirt bike crash of Norwin teens
Families of two Norwin High School students killed in a 2024 dirt bike crash have filed wrongful death lawsuits against the parents of two other teens, claiming they allowed and enabled underage drinking that led to the fatalities. In two separate court filings in Westmoreland County Court, the parents of...
Westmoreland County, Allegheny Township sued over 2024 fatal motorcycle crash
The family of a Butler County man killed in a 2024 motorcycle crash filed a lawsuit Wednesday, alleging that poorly marked curves and a history of “roadway departures” at a local intersection led to his death. Roger Davis Jr., 25, died from injuries suffered in a Sept. 15, 2024, crash...
Wis. fugitive pleads guilty to resisting arrest at Hempfield gym
A Youngwood man will be extradited to Wisconsin after pleading guilty Wednesday to resisting arrest at a Hempfield fitness club. Martin Alvarez Jr., 35, was sentenced to serve up to six months in jail but was immediately paroled after receiving credit for time served since his December arrest. Police said...
Allegheny County man sentenced for North Huntingdon gun thefts
A McKeesport man was ordered to serve up to 10 years in state prison for the theft of guns from a North Huntingdon home in 2021. John Steven Hudak, 50, pleaded guilty last year to four felony counts in connection to allegations he stole more than a dozen guns and...
Lower Burrell man charged in Mogie’s shooting declared competent to stand trial
The man charged in the murder of a popular Lower Burrell bar owner is competent to stand trial. The decision by a Westmoreland County judge ends nearly 16 months of uncertainty regarding the prosecution of the case. Prosecutors contend Nathan Salem, 47, of Lower Burrell shot and killed David “Mogie”...
Ligonier Country Market facing possible move after lease terminated, director says in email to vendors
The location of the popular Ligonier Country Market could change for the upcoming season. Ligonier Township supervisors are expected to meet Tuesday night to consider options regarding permits issued earlier this month for the weekend event. The market, which runs through the spring, summer and fall, draws thousands of visitors....
Historic Westmoreland County Courthouse closure: First full snow day since 1999
As snow continued to pummel the region Sunday, Westmoreland County commissioners agreed to do something that had not been done in more than three decades: They shut down the courthouse. Citing public safety concerns, commissioners ordered a one-day closure of the courthouse, postponing scheduled court hearings and canceling two public...
Judge rules theft case against former Westmoreland purchasing head can proceed
The theft case against Westmoreland County’s former purchasing director will proceed to trial, a judge ruled Friday. Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart II, in a one-paragraph order, rejected a defense attorney who sought dismissal of the case against Kristopher Cardiff, who prosecutors contend was behind a yearlong payroll scheme to...
Woman sentenced for shooting Penn Township roommate with century-old shotgun
More than three years after Erik Allison was shot in the throat by a woman prosecutors claimed was a jealous roommate, he still carries approximately 100 shotgun pellets in his body. “It is still very painful,” Allison said Friday during a sentencing hearing for Leah H. Gillis, who fired a...
Former Jeannette woman pleads guilty to animal cruelty
A woman who was charged after an infant ingested cocaine in Jeannette in 2022 has pleaded guilty to an unrelated animal cruelty charge. Shelly Kemerer, 55, of Washington County, was ordered to serve two years on probation in connection with allegations she neglected to properly care for a cat at...
Greensburg man pleads guilty in hit-and-run crash
A Greensburg man was ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to charges related to a two-vehicle crash last summer that left another man injured. Collin Hays, 35, pleaded guilty this week to drunken driving, reckless endangerment, hit-and-run driving and the illegal possession of...
