Police: Man arrested in 83-year-old's death beat victim, set him on fire

PITTSBURGH — An arrest was made Friday night in the death of an 83-year-old man who was found badly burned earlier in the day in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood, police said.

Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Sonya Toler said a call came in Friday morning for a man who was on fire at a house on Allen Street.

Upon their arrival, firefighters, police and paramedics discovered the victim’s body on the second floor of the home. There did not appear to be other damage to the house.

While not officially identified by authorities, the victim’s niece identified him as John Connors. Debbie Goldie said her uncle was found on the floor above the funeral home that he ran for decades before retiring 15 years ago. %

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“I was stunned that something terrible would happen,” Goldie told Channel 11 News.

Goldie said her uncle was very well-known within the community and enjoyed visitors.

“He loved when people would come down and say, ‘Hi, Jack,’ or ‘Mr. Connors,’” Goldie said.

She said the family had been trying to get Connors to move into a senior citizens home, but he refused.

“We tried to get (him) into a senior place, but he thought he would lose his independence,” Goldie said.

Just after 9:30 p.m. Friday, authorities announced that they had arrested Jawwaad Ali, 24, and charged him with homicide in connection with Connors’ death. Police said Ali, who told investigators he had been staying with the victim for about a week, beat Connors and set him on fire.

Police said Ali told them several stories about what happened.

In one story, Ali said Connors was found “lying prone and on fire,” according to police. When asked why he smelled like kerosene, Ali said, “Kerosene fumes got on me.”

In another story, police said Ali claimed Connors came at him with a screwdriver so he "elbowed Connors in the face" and then "poured kerosene on Connors' body and lit him on fire."
Officials said the investigation remains open as detectives await findings from the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office.

Cox Media Group