Sunday, February 10, 2013
The man's death was ruled a homicide.
An Avella resident was hitchhiking on Old Route 40 in Donegal Township, Washington County, about 9:20 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 18, 1972 when he spotted the badly decomposed body of a man. The man was down an embankment, about 65 feet south of the roadway. His skeletal remains were found in a briar thicket, near a small trash dump, about two miles west of Claysville. It was estimated that he had been there for about 8 to 10 weeks. The man's death was ruled a homicide, according to the Pennsylvania Missing Persons website. The man had gunshot wounds in his left torso, possibly from a .22-caliber weapon. While details about the man's appearance and clothing are many, there are no clues as to who he was, where he came from or why he died. The man …
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Ritter was the fourth young woman killed in seven months in Washington County in 1976-77.
The rape and strangulation death of Brenda Lee Ritter, 18, of North Strabane Township on May 19, 1977 is a case that still haunts police. Her death occurred as the fourth in a series of slayings of young women in Washington County. The murders of Deborah Capiola, Mary Irene Gency and Susan Rush left county residents on edge. The death of Barbara Lewis in Penn Hills within the same time frame left investigators wondering if her strangulation death was at the hands of the same killer. According to a Sept. 28, 2003 story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Brenda left her boyfriend's home in Chartiers Township about 10:10 p.m. May 18, 1977 during a raging thunderstorm. Her boyfriend, Larry Bonazza, and his mother made sure the doors of Brenda's …
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Washington County native said, 'Above and beyond all of it, you can't buy this kind of exposure.'
Washington County native Adam Brock left the "American Idol" stage Thursday with no regrets. He deservedly made it to the top 24, however—after one live-show performance—did not advance to the top 13. During his last days in sunny L.A. with his family, Brock dished (in an exclusive phone interview) on his experience, his Pittsburgh roots and what's next for his career. Patch: If you could sum up your 'American Idol' experience in one word, what would it be? Brock: Roller coaster. Patch: How was it working with Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson? Brock: They are incredible people. Jennifer and Steven are so personable. They go out of their way. Randy too, but those two especially. I never really followed Steven’s career too …
