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Jury finds teen guilty in fatal shooting of Penn Hills girl, setting body on fire

PENN HILLS, Pa. — The teenager who set a house on fire in an attempt to cover up a murder was found guilty by an Allegheny County jury Wednesday.

Akeem Page-Jones was found to be guilty of first-degree murder in the 2011 death of Teesa Williams, 17, of Penn Hills.

Page-Jones was 16 years old when he allegedly fatally shot Williams and then tried to cover up the crime with a house fire.

He was tried as an adult and found guilty on 10 other counts, including setting Williams’ body on fire.

“He was 16 years old at the time of the alleged offense, and when he took the stand as a witness, subject to cross examination, he came across as a scared, confused kid,” said defense attorney Kevin Abramovitz.

“It's hard for anyone to be subject to cross examination, and when you have a kid up there, a child being asked very difficult questions, it makes it very difficult to stay calm,” he said.

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