Suspect charged in shooting death of Jefferson Hills motel owner

Police have charged a suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of a Jefferson Hills motel owner.

The victim, 78-year-old Denhad Taiedi, was working the front desk at the Jefferson Hills Motel on Route 51 when he was shot and killed in the early morning hours of May 27.

According to court documents, police charged 50-year-old Derrick Gallaway with criminal homicide, robbery, tampering with evidence and other counts.

Taiedi’s family members previously told Channel 11 News that Taiedi would have had to have let the shooter in, because the doors to the motel are always locked overnight.

According to the criminal complaint, police said Gallaway was using methamphetamine with another man who was staying at the hotel. Gallaway then allegedly shot Taiedi in the head during a struggle at the motel's front desk.

"He fought to his very last breath and that's why he didn't give up," Taiedi’s granddaughter Ashley Nebel said.

When police arrived, they found items strewn about the office and a surveillance camera missing. Police did not say what else, if anything, had been taken.

Police told TribLIVE that DNA evidence and statements from two witnesses helped them identify Gallaway.

Gallaway remained at-large as of Saturday, and a detailed description of him was not immediately available.

Nebel said her grandfather had started the paperwork for renting a room when he was shot. Police said the shooter got away with $180. A customer who arrived a short time later found Taiedi’s body and called 911.

"You changed a family.  You changed a man’s life for $180. Maybe this man needs some help with his drug addiction. He took a life for what?" Nebel said

Nebel said her family just wants closure and justice for her grandfather.

“For us, it's just knowing that he didn't die in vain and he didn't die for nothing, and someone will pay for his death,” she said.

Taiedi and his wife Linda bought the motel in 2001. They also owned the Baldwin nightclub Someplace Else and Saddle Brook stables in South Park.

PREVIOUS STORIES: 

- Family seeks answers after motel owner found shot to death in Jefferson Hills (May 30, 2016) 
- Reward offered in case of murdered motel owner (June 8, 2016) 

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