Attempted homicide charge filed against Monessen man after stabbing at Valley Manor apartments

A Monessen man is facing attempted homicide charges after city police said he stabbed another man Friday evening during an argument at Valley Manor apartments, according to court papers.

A witness told police that she and her brother asked Robert W. Varner, 60, to be quiet a few times around 8 p.m. while the pair was sitting on a porch at the Third Street apartment building. Varner went into his apartment and returned to where the pair was sitting, calling the woman names, according to court papers. The witness said her brother pushed and punched Varner, and the suspect stabbed him five times in the back and chest.

The man was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital and was listed in stable condition, according to police.

Officers found a bloody knife on the ground under bushes nearby, according to court papers. Varner was taken into custody, and his shirt, which had blood on it, was taken for evidence. He was “highly intoxicated,” police said in court papers.

Varner was checked by paramedics while he was at the police station. Authorities said he repeatedly admitted to stabbing the man after being punched, according to court papers.

Varner was being held without bail at the Westmoreland County Prison on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and related offenses. A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 11. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records.