Judge orders trial in slaying
PITTSBURGH — A former Cranberry Township man charged with killing a University of Pittsburgh student in her off-campus apartment last year will stand trial for homicide and numerous other charges.
A judge made the decision Jan. 19 after a lengthy hearing where prosecutors presented evidence they say linked Matthew Darby, a Seneca Valley High School graduate, to the slaying.
Authorities allege that Darby, then of Greensburg, used a claw hammer and two knives to kill 20-year-old Alina Sheykhet, his ex-girlfriend, on Oct. 8 before fleeing. He was captured in Myrtle Beach, S.C., after a witness reported him tampering with a window at a residence three days after the Pittsburgh slaying.
Defense attorney David Shrager argued that prosecutors had only presented circumstantial evidence against his client.
Besides the homicide charge, Darby is also accused of flight, burglary, theft, trespassing and possessing an instrument of crime.
