Top Stories

Man charged in murder that led to Amber Alert says he didn’t kidnap teen

CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — One of the people charged in connection with a murder that led to an Amber Alert being issued for a 16-year-old boy told Channel 11 he didn’t kidnap the teenager.

Police were called to East Fairview Avenue in Connellsville early Tuesday and found William Stewart, 52, dead in the yard. Stewart, who was the fiancé of the 16-year-old boy’s mother, had been shot multiple times.

You can customize your WPXI News App to receive breaking news alerts. CLICK HERE to find out how.

Keith Bradshaw, 31, and Marjorie Jay are both charged with homicide, kidnapping and other charges in connection with the shooting and Amber Alert.

As Bradshaw was walked out of the Fayette County Booking Center Wednesday morning, he told Channel 11′s Mike Holden he did not kidnap anyone and the teen came with him voluntarily.

He also claimed he had just gotten back from Orlando, Florida, with the teenager, his mother and Stewart.

Jay told police she and Bradshaw went to the home on Fairview Avenue to try talking to the 16-year-old boy, according to the criminal complaint. She said Bradshaw brought things to tie the boy up, but told her he didn’t want anyone to get hurt.

The pair allegedly jumped the backyard fence at the home, where they ran into Stewart, who was letting his dogs out.

After an argument, police said Bradshaw shot Stewart multiple times.

Bradshaw then got the 16-year-old boy from inside the house. Bradshaw, Jay and the boy all ran from the scene, the complaint said.

Police caught up with Jay not far from the scene. According to the criminal complaint, she initially lied to them about her name.

>>RELATED STORY: Amendment to Amber Alert law introduced Wednesday in Nalani Johnson’s memory

While the alleged kidnapping happened around 2:30 a.m., an amber alert wasn’t issued until just before 10 a.m.

Law enforcement sources say the amber alert should have been made within 20 minutes tops because this was an underage boy with a man who allegedly just committed murder and potentially had a gun.

Connelsville police said there was a delay to the alert because if the homicide investigation that was happening at the same time and the believe that Bradshaw was still in the area.

The alert was canceled within an hour when they were located by Pennsylvania State Police in Chambersburg by using the car’s OnStar system.

According to the criminal complaint, Stewart had an ongoing problem with Bradshaw and Jay, which he reported to police.

Stewart’s fiancée, the boy’s mother, told Channel 11 she didn’t hear the gunshots, but her dogs tipped her off that something was wrong.

“I went to go out the back door to look and see what was going on, and that’s when I found my fiancé laying on the ground dead and my son was missing," she said.

She said her 16-year-old son was trying to walk away from a relationship with Bradshaw, a relationship she and the teen’s father initially allowed.

She said Bradshaw has been harassing the family.

“He came at me with some woman, called me, another showed up at my door, trying to scare me into not saying anything about his relationship with my son," she said.