7 charged with homicide in Indiana County man's stabbing death
Seven people are charged with criminal homicide in the kidnapping and killing of an Indiana County man last month, state police and the Indiana County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
Six Johnstown residents were among those accused in the stabbing death of Hayden R. Garreffa, 19, of East Wheatfield, whose body was found Oct. 20 in a wooded area in Brushvalley Township.
Those suspects are: Isaac Joel Buchkoski, 21; Mia Shai Catalfano, 18; Taylyn N. Edwards, 18; Thomas A. Rivera, 20; Summer I. Settlemyer, 18; and Jesse L. Wadsworth, 18. A seventh suspect charged was Desean Garcia Alvarez, 21, of Hammond, Ind. The criminal complaints that had been filed before District Judge Susanne Steffee were amended to add the one count of criminal homicide against each suspect.
All of them are in the Indiana County Jail and were denied bail.
An eighth person, a 14-year-old girl, is being prosecuted as a juvenile and is charged with kidnapping. She is detained in a juvenile detention facility.
Indiana County District Attorney Robert Manzi Jr. said the investigation into Garreffa’s death continues to determine the specific actions of each of the defendants.
Police believe Garreffa was lured out of a home and then kidnapped and killed. His body was found in a remote area of the rural township.
Related:
• State police say Indiana County man was kidnapped, killed
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.