Suspect arraigned on lesser charges
A Mercer County man charged with homicide was arraigned in Butler County Court Tuesday on charges he lied to police after being found in the dead man's vehicle in March.
Joshua K. Greaves, 34, was formally arraigned on misdemeanor false identification and possession of a controlled substance charges in Judge Timothy McCune's courtroom.
He was charged alongside Tiffany N. Hilliard, 30, of Butler, in that case. Both were arraigned and held on $2,500 and $3,500 bail, respectively, as well as several bench warrants.
The couple was arrested March 24 after allegedly being found in a vehicle owned by Gregory W. Bosko, 55, of Kittanning, in the 300 block of West Wayne Street. Police responded to a call of people doing drugs in a car. The two allegedly gave false names to police, and once identified, were found to be wanted on bench warrants. Greaves also was allegedly found in possession of three stamp bags of heroin.
While detained on those charges, the two were persons of interest in the disappearance of Bosko, and police later learned of Bosko's death through recorded prison phone calls by Hilliard.
Police said Hilliard eventually told investigators that Greaves slashed Bosko's throat during a drug deal in Lyndora, and the couple disposed of Bosko's body in a wooded area along Redbud Road.
Bosko's body was found April 1, wrapped in a green blanket with his throat cut. Butler County Coroner William Young III ruled Bosko's death a homicide. He said the cause of death was “sharp trauma of the neck,” and that the man's throat had been slit “multiple times.”
Greaves was charged with homicide, felony robbery, robbery of a motor vehicle, theft, receiving stolen property, hindering apprehension, misdemeanor receiving stolen property, abuse of a corpse and conspiracy counts to all. Hilliard is facing the same charges, minus the homicide count.
Butler County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Greaves.
Greaves is in the Butler County Prison after bail was denied, and Hilliard continues to be held on $500,000 cash bail, as well as probation detainers in two unrelated cases.
No further court dates were immediately available for Greaves in relation to the false identification case, but further scheduled court hearings for both Greaves and Hilliard include a status conference on Sept. 26, call of the list on Nov. 8 and jury selection on Nov. 9, with trials to begin on Nov. 13, in the charges related to Bosko's death.
Hilliard's scheduled court hearings for her falsie identification charges include jury selection beginning Thursday, with trial scheduled for Sept. 18.
