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Background: The home in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, where the killing reportedly occurred (Google Maps). Insets (from top to bottom): Alysha Riggans and Terry Newland (Fayette County District Attorney”s Office).
In a tragic turn of events in Pennsylvania, a man and woman overstayed their welcome at an elderly homeowner’s residence, ultimately leading to a fatal altercation when he insisted they vacate, according to authorities.
Alysha Riggans, 30, and Terry Newland, 58, now face serious charges, including criminal homicide, evidence tampering, and corpse abuse, based on court documents accessed by Law&Crime. Additionally, Riggans is accused of theft and misusing an access device for financial gain.
The suspects are alleged to have murdered 71-year-old Ralph Brown, as reported by the Fayette County District Attorney’s Office in an announcement made on Monday.
Riggans and Newland had been residing in Brown’s Uniontown, Pennsylvania home, located in a small city just south of Pittsburgh. Authorities describe them as refusing to leave despite Brown’s repeated requests over several months, likening their presence to that of squatters.
“They were going to basically take a room for a short amount of time, ended up changing their address to a point where he couldn’t really get them out,” Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele said, according to regional NBC affiliate WPXI.
Last week, a financial dispute between the pair and Brown escalated, the DA’s office reported. Prosecutors allege that Riggans and Newland devised a scheme to eliminate the homeowner and rob him of his money.
Riggans reportedly said that on April 1, when Brown returned to the Crow Avenue home, she saw Newland stab him in the neck with a knife and then beat the victim in the head with a table. She further claimed that she and Newland then tied a bag around Brown’s head, wrapped his feet with cords, and stored the body in the home’s basement for two days.
Early Saturday morning, the two defendants allegedly dropped Brown’s body — wrapped in a blanket — “along an active railway near Kerr Street,” the DA’s office said. The victim’s remains were discovered on Sunday.
Authorities identified the body as Brown’s and determined that Riggans and Newland had stolen money from his bank accounts, area CBS affiliate KDKA reported. Investigators went to his home and “met with our two defendants,” Aubele said. “And as soon as we walked into the house, we noticed items of forensic value, including potential blood.”
Riggans and Newland were arrested and had their preliminary arraignment in court on Monday. They are expected to return to court on April 20.
They have been denied bail.