Cops: Man wanted in Erie slaying arrested after crime spree in Pittsburgh

EDGEWOOD, Pa. — A man wanted in the killing of an Erie man is in custody after police near Pittsburgh said he committed a series of robberies.

Edgewood police said David Anthony Fry, 33, was arrested Monday night following an attempted robbery there. Investigators said Fry also committed robberies in Pittsburgh and Wilkins Township on Monday, a day after family members discovered the body of an Erie man he allegedly killed in another apparent robbery.

Erie police said Fry killed 36-year-old Matthew Lyons over the weekend inside Lyons' apartment. The county coroner said Lyons died of blunt force trauma. Investigators said Fry used a statue to beat Lyons to death.

After the slaying, police said Fry stole Lyons' car and fled to the Pittsburgh-area where he is accused of robbing a Sheetz in Wilkins Township on Sunday afternoon.

Police said Fry got away with several hundred dollars, cigarettes and a soda.

On Monday, Pittsburgh police said Fry tried to hold up the S and R Mart on Second Avenue in Hazelwood. Investigators said employees and the store owner turned the tables on Fry when they pulled out a gun that is kept in the store and scared him away.

Investigators said Fry then went to Edgewood where he robbed the Edgewood Express on Edgewood Avenue. Police from Edgewood and the surrounding areas were eventually able to track him down and arrest him with the help of a K9 officer.

Detectives said at some point before his arrest, Fry traded Lyons' car for drugs in Homestead.

Police said Fry escaped an Erie halfway house before committing the murder.

Investigators said Fry needed treatment for a dog bite sustained during his arrest. He is being held on $150,000 bail.

Fry faces several charges including murder, aggravated assault and robbery.

WPXI