Penn Township man will serve life in prison for killing father, aunt

Neal Hubish had only a few words to share with his mother and sister as he was led out of a Westmoreland County courtroom Tuesday afternoon after pleading guilty to killing his father and aunt.

Westmoreland County prosecutors said that Hubish violently stabbed to death his 71-year-old father, Arthur Hubish, and 76-year-old aunt, Maria Puskarich, inside a Burrell Hill Road home in Penn Township on Nov. 9, 2021.

Hubish, 43, was ordered to serve two life sentences without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.

“I do know things aren’t as bad as they look like. I want to express my remorse,” Hubish said.

Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio permitted Hubish to briefly speak with his surviving relatives before he was taken to Torrance State Hospital in Derry Township, where he continues to be treated for mental health issues diagnosed following his arrest two years ago.

His family members declined comment about the case or their courtroom conversation with Hubish.

Hubish previously served two years in prison for holding his mother captive after she picked him up from jail upon his parole on unrelated charges in 2016. He also was convicted and sentenced to prison in 2019 for assaulting his father and for an attack against a police officer who was attempting to take him into custody in 2020 on a mental health warrant.

“While I can’t imagine the grief and pain this incident caused the relatives of the Hubish and Puskarich family, I hope this action today brings justice for them,” District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said in a statement released after the guilty plea hearing.

Hubish’s plea came less than a week after he was ruled competent to stand trial. His trial had been delayed for months because of mental health concerns and court findings that he was unable to cooperate with his defense lawyers.

He previously insisted he wanted a trial but last week changed course after the judge ruled his mental issues had been resolved enough to allow him to understand his legal situation and participate in a trial.

“I thought it would be best for my family and life to change my plea. I just can’t go back to Torrance,” Hubish said.

Defense attorney Brian Aston said Hubish wanted to spare himself and his family the stress of a trial and having to hear and see details of the violent killings.

Aston said last week a potential insanity defense would be explored that if successful, could have resulted in Hubish being found not guilty. The defense also considered asking that Hubish be found guilty but mentally ill.

Neither mental illness defense was not part of Tuesday’s guilty plea.

Hubish also pleaded guilty to unrelated assault charges in connection with an incident last year at the county jail. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of simple assault for punching a corrections officer in the face in April 2022 and was sentenced to a consecutive one- to two-year prison sentence.

Hubish is expected to be transferred from Torrance to the county jail within days to await transfer to the state’s Department of Corrections.