UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Two people have been charged with homicide after a 71-year-old man was found dead in Uniontown.
The Fayette County District Attorney’s Office said Terry Newland, 58, and Alysha Riggans, 30, are accused of conspiring to kill Ralph Brown.
Brown’s body was found along railroad tracks near West Kerr Street on Sunday.
Newland and Riggans are facing multiple charges, including criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.
Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele said this is a “very, very callous, cold and calculated crime.”
He said investigators found Brown’s body tied up and wrapped in a blanket by the train tracks off of West Kerr Street.
According to the DA, the pair were living with Brown and were fighting about money.
“They were going to basically take a room for a short period of time and ended up changing their address to a point where he really couldn’t get them out,” said Aubele.
According to police, Riggans said when Brown returned home on Wednesday last week, she saw Newland stab Brown in the neck with a knife. Riggans told police she then saw Newland beat Brown in the head with a table.
She also told police she and Newland tied a bag around Brown’s head, wrapped his feet with cords, and stored his body in the basement for two days before eventually dropping him in the grass next to the railroad tracks around 4 a.m. Saturday.
When police found Brown’s body and drove to their Crow Street address, they quickly identified Newland and Riggans and took them into custody.
“As soon as we walked into the house, we noticed items of forensic value, including potential blood,” said Aubele
According to the police report, Riggans stole cash from Brown’s pockets while his body was in the basement and spent over $600 on his debit card. Riggans and Newland are now being held in the Fayette County Prison.
“What I’ve heard from investigators and people around the community is that this was a beloved individual and we will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law,” said Aubele.
Their preliminary hearing is set for Monday, April 20th.
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