Teen who fled Westmoreland juvenile shelter faces new charges

The teenager charged with second-degree murder in connection with a shooting last year in New Kensington is facing additional criminal offenses related to an attack against a shelter worker and his disappearance from an unsecured facility this month.

Assistant District Attorney Jackie Knupp said Thursday those new charges warrant the murder case against 16-year-old Braedon Dickinson of Connellsville being transferred to adult court.

He will be prosecuted as a juvenile in the new cases, Knupp said.

Dickinson is among the seven men and teens charged in connection with the July 3, 2022, killing of 39-year-old Jason Raiford in New Kensington.

Amir Kennedy, 16, of New Kensington was convicted this month of first- and second-­degree murder, along with other related offenses, following a weeklong trial. Two others — Elijah Gary, 20, and DaMontae Brooks, 17, both of New Kensington — were acquitted of second-degree murder charges but found guilty of robbery and conspiracy offenses.

Dickinson was the lone co-defendant charged with Raiford’s murder to have his prosecution transferred to juvenile court, a move that was approved by a county judge in May after a failed suicide attempt at the county’s juvenile detention center.

Prosecutors said he was hospitalized and later fled after being placed on house arrest. He was on the run for four months before he was captured in November and again placed on house arrest and housed in the county’s unsecured shelter program at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield.

Related:

• 12.12.2023. Housing juveniles charged with crimes a growing issue in Pa.
• 12.11.2023. Charged teens simply walked away from Westmoreland shelter; county reopens shuttered juvenile center in response
• 12.11.2023. Teen accused in New Ken murder case 1 of 2 back in custody after fleeing Westmoreland detention center
• 12.10.2023. Westmoreland County, state police search for teens who fled juvenile detention center
• 12.8.2023. Jury convicts teen of New Kensington man's murder; 2 others found not guilty

On Dec. 7, Dickinson attacked a shelter worker and was subsequently charged with aggravated assault in connection to that incident, Knupp said. He also was charged with escape, theft and illegal gun possession related to an incident on Dec. 9, when prosecutors said he fled the shelter with another teen, stole a car and took possession of a handgun in the vehicle, she told the judge.

Dickinson was captured Dec. 11 in Fayette County and has since been held at the reopened secure juvenile detention center.

Knupp told Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michele Bononi that Dickinson’s behavior since May warrants a reversal of the decision to have his case prosecuted in juvenile court. If convicted in the juvenile system, he could not be held in custody beyond his 21st birthday.

“His subsequent conduct indicates the juvenile is not amenable to treatment in the juvenile system,” Knupp said, later adding: “It’s very clear his conduct changes everything.”

Assistant Public Defender Patrice DiPietro argued Bononi does not have jurisdiction to reverse a May ruling by another county judge that transferred the case to juvenile court. She also claimed the case should remain in juvenile court because prosecutors agreed to the transfer in return for his cooperation against the other co-defendants charged with Raiford’s killing.

Dickinson was available to testify at the trial for Kennedy, Gary and Brooks and appeared on the prosecution’s witnesses list, although he was not called to testify, DiPietro said.

“Braedon held up his side of the bargain,” DiPietro argued. “That never changed, and that agreement has to be honored.”

Bononi said she would rule on the legality of the prosecution’s transfer request after the New Year.

Dickinson’s mother, Taylor Dickinson of Connellsville, said her son had been mistreated by county juvenile authorities and suffers from lingering cognitive issues related to his suicide attempt.

She said he was in a coma for about four days after he tried to hang himself at the juvenile center last spring.

“He is not right in the head anymore due to the lack of oxygen. He cannot think rationally or make good decisions,” she said. “This is my only child, my baby, and seeing things like this, it’s hard to watch. This county just wants to get rid of him.”

Taylor Dickinson said her son was a straight-A student and star athlete until behavioral issues led to his arrests. His behavior worsened once he entered the juvenile justice system, she said.

“He got in trouble and was put into juvenile detention,” she said. “Ever since he’s been there, a disaster has happened.”