Jeannette murder trial date set; Attorney says accused has alibi

An Allegheny County man charged with murder in a fatal shooting two years ago in Jeannette was ruled competent to stand trial.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said Monday a mental health examination of Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee found that he was able to assist his defense and cleared him of any psychiatric issues that could further delayed his trial.

Tolbert-McGhee, 30, of Penn Hills, is charged with first-degree murder for the April 13, 2017, shooting death of 32-year-old Michael Wilson, who police said was gunned down in front of the Dollar General store on Clay Avenue. Prosecutors have said the shooting was recorded on surveillance cameras and witnesses identified Tolbert-McGhee as the shooter.

The judge scheduled the trial to begin Jan. 6.

Defense attorney Tim Dawson said Tolbert-McGhee has an alibi for the time of the shooting. In a previous court hearing, Tolbert-McGhee suggested his twin brother might have been Wilson’s killer.

“He was in Florida at the time of the shooting. He had an identical twin brother who was involved with the drug trade and who had a bad relationship with the victim,” Dawson said.

Twin brother Dwayne Lamar Tolbert-McGhee, 29, was shot and killed May 4, 2018, in Wilkinsburg. At the time of his death he was awaiting trial on drug posession charges in Westmoreland County.