Upper Burrell man charged with woman's attempted murder to remain in jail

An Upper Burrell man charged with the attempted murder of a woman will remain in jail after a Westmoreland County judge said Wednesday he is a danger to society.

Police contend Matthew Best, 32, pointed a rifle and pulled the trigger during a confrontation Oct. 23. The woman’s life was spared when the weapon malfunctioned, police said.

In addition to attempted murder, Best was charged with counts of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, making terroristic threats, loitering and criminal mischief.

Best has been in custody without bond since his arrest.

In court Wednesday, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio rejected Best’s request to be released on bond.

She called the allegations against Best “frightening” and said the alleged victim and society would be endangered should he be released from jail before his trial.

“This could have been a homicide if that bullet had been expelled,” Bilik-DeFazio said.

According to court records, Upper Burrell police said they found a woman crawling on Route 780 near Menk Road. They were told Best attempted to kill her during a confrontation.

Police said when they arrived at the police station with the alleged victim, they found Best in the driver’s seat of a township public works vehicle. A mail box had been pulled from the wall.

Defense attorney Komron Jon Maknoon said in court Wednesday that Best has no prior criminal record and was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.

“The charges were horrible, but is he the type of person to be in jail?” Maknoon asked.

Assistant District Attorney John Petrush opposed setting a bond for Best, saying he was judged by the county’s probation department to be a moderate flight risk.

“The victim does have a great fear of the defendant,” Petrush said.