11 Investigates: Getting Away with Murder

11 Investigates analyzed years of homicide data in Allegheny County and found communities where unsolved cases are stacking up.

There are hundreds of unsolved homicides in the county, cases where police have been unable to make an arrest, even if they believe they know who the killer is. Without arrests and convictions, local families continue to suffer, waiting for their loved one to get justice.

When a parent loses a child, it is like living life out of order, locked in with a pain that never goes away.

Walt and Virginia O’Leary have been locked in since November 3, 2025.

“I couldn’t breathe,” Virginia O’Leary said. “Just no... No, this didn’t happen.”

Their son Shawn O’Leary was shot at a small house party in Duquesne. The 32-year-old died before police arrived, leaving behind two children, aged ten and one. The oldest now has no parents. His mom passed away several years ago.

“He would do anything for anybody,” Walt O’Leary said.

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Shawn’s parents said he was funny, caring, a devoted father and a hard worker. He was an award-winning cook with dreams of owning his own business one day.

“‘Hey bud.’ I miss picking up that phone and hearing ‘Hey bud,’” Walt O’Leary said. “I’m in hell and I don’t know how to get out.”

No one has been arrested in Shawn’s death.

The O’Learys have joined a club they did not sign up for; families robbed of a loved one and left without answers.

Shawn O’Leary is one of 71 homicide victims killed in Allegheny County last year alone.

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11 Investigates filed right-to-know requests for five years of homicide data, 2021-2025. We analyzed all 531 homicides that fell within that time frame and mapped the 529 with location data provided.

All of the homicides were investigated by Allegheny County Police, Pittsburgh Police or Pennsylvania State Police. State police investigated just ten of the homicides. County police investigated 265 homicides, and Pittsburgh Police investigated 256.

11 Investigates then created maps of all 500+ cases with location data, solved and unsolved.

There are communities where 100 percent of the homicides during the 5-year window have been solved. For example, all four homicides in Scott Township and all six in Pitcairn have been solved.

The data also shows neighborhoods where homicides are stacking up, including some where arrests lag.

For example, of the 24 homicides that occurred in Wilkinsburg during the 5-year window, nearly half, 46 percent, are unsolved.

In Penn Hills, there have been 26 homicides. Fifty percent of them have been solved. The other half remain unsolved.

Aside from the city of Pittsburgh, McKeesport had the most homicides at 31. But the solve rate is high. 74 percent, about three out of every four deaths, have been solved.

This map, which excludes the city of Pittsburgh, represents two things: how many homicides occurred in each Allegheny County township, city or borough and the solve rate in each one.

The larger circles represent a higher number of homicides. The lighter circles represent a higher solve rate. The darker the color, the higher the percentage of unsolved homicides. Using that scale, the most concerning areas are represented by large, dark bubbles.

11 Investigates showed our findings to police leadership. Investigative reporter Jatara McGee sat down with Assistant Superintendent Victor Joseph at Allegheny County Police headquarters.

“It’s troubling. It’s sad,” he said, speaking about the pockets of unsolved cases. “But what I think is somewhat positive – it’s starting to trend less homicides and a higher solve rate.”

Joseph referenced the 50 percent solve rate in Penn Hills, saying that when he looked at each case within the 5-year window, he saw encouraging signs.

“We’ve seen trends recently that the violence is decreasing even in those hot spot areas, which is reassuring,” he said.

Joseph has publicly praised county police’s approach to addressing violent crime in contributing to the county’s lower number of homicides and higher closure rate in recent years. He calls it an all-hands-on-deck approach, utilizing community policing, police work, technology and social service partnerships.

“Technology plays a huge role. Our detectives are – they’re very smart in social media, in LPRs, DNA,” he said. “But that community component is critical.”

McGee asked if county police detectives are getting more cooperation than in the past.

“I’d say yes. I’d say yes. Is it all the time? No,” Joseph said. “The more cooperation we get from the community, the more successful we are. That’s part of the formula.”

Allegheny County Police continue to investigate Shawn O’Leary’s killing but say witness cooperation has been an issue.

“It’s sad for that victim, it’s sad for his family, and it’s frustrating for our detectives,” Joseph said.

“I knew within an hour after they took his body out of the house, I knew what happened. I knew who killed him. I knew whose gun they used to kill him. I knew everything,” Walt O’Leary said. “The police don’t really know because no one will talk to them.”

“So people are talking. They’re just not talking to the police?” McGee asked.

“Correct,” Walt O’Leary said.

Joseph concurred and urged witnesses to do the right thing and speak up.

11 Investigates found case after case where the “snitches get stiches” mentality is keeping killers on the street.

“The grief, the pain, it’ll never go away for us,” said Barbie Sampson, a local mom who lost her daughter to gun violence.

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Sampson and Cathy Welsh have turned their pain into purpose. They’ve become advocates for other families and are helping create better relationships between victims’ families and police.

Welsh lost her son Jerame Turner in 2017. He was 16 years old.

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“From the time he was born, people were like, ‘Oh, he’s your mini.’ He had a giant heart,” Welsh said.

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Together, the two are opening doors for other families.

“I promised myself after my daughter passed away that I would do whatever I could to help in the community,” Sampson said. “Here we are, this is what we do now.”

They’ve created Families Seeking Justice, a special kind of support group where families find support in each other but also get to connect with detectives assigned to their loved one’s case.

“I’ve seen families travel out to Green Tree to the homicide offices and share information, and I never thought I would see that,” Welsh said.

For families like the O’Learys, answers cannot come soon enough.

“His future was robbed from the kids,” Walt O’Leary said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be the same,” Virginia O’Leary said.

Part two of Getting Away with Murder, focused on the city of Pittsburgh, airs Wednesday, February 18, at 11 p.m.

Homicide data was provided by PA state police, Allegheny County Police and City of Pittsburgh Police through Right-to-know requests and are current as of their response. Neighborhood-level data was either provided by City of Pittsburgh Police in the initial records response or by 11 Investigates using the provided address data and querying the City of Pittsburgh’s database of neighborhoods. One county record had no known location, two city records lacked address information and could not be narrowed down to a specific neighborhood.

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