Man found guilty of first-degree murder in shooting of father of former Pitt, NBA player
A Wilkinsburg man was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder in a 2019 shooting death in the borough.
Dilon Bartifay, 34, faces a mandatory prison term of life without parole in the Nov. 16, 2019, killing of Gregory Lamont Blair Sr., the father of former University of Pittsburgh basketball star and NBA player DeJuan Blair.
Gregory Blair, 46, was shot at the corner of Ross and Center streets in Wilkinsburg after police said he confronted Bartifay about harassing his friend as she left his apartment that night and waited for a Lyft. Blair was taken to UPMC Presbyterian, where he died a short time later.
Two women who lived in a building across the street from the shooting were able to identify Bartifay when they saw him that night. He was arrested a short time later.
His jury trial began Wednesday before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Beth A. Lazzara.
The defense acknowledged that Bartifay and Blair argued, but said another man was the shooter. The prosecution presented evidence that Bartifay had gunshot residue on his hand and on a sleeve of his sweatshirt.
The jury deliberated Friday afternoon, broke for the weekend and then returned with a verdict around 10 a.m. Monday.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 13.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2020 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of "Death by Cyanide." She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.
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