Watch CBS News

Man To Stand Trial For Stabbing Dog, Mixing Blood With Murder Victim's To Hide Crime

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A man accused of murdering a Lawrenceville man will stand trial.

Raymond Schifino waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday afternoon. Schifino was arrested in connection with the death of Andre Gray.

Family members say they are grateful for the decision reached today in court that Schifino will go to trial and won't be getting out of jail anytime soon for his role in the events surrounding Gray's death.

Gray went missing from his Howley Street apartment in Lawrenceville back in October. Police found blood in his apartment. A few days later, they  found his car, which had been set on fire. His body was found in the Ohio River in West Virginia on March 20.

Police say Gray was stabbed 10 times and shot once in the head.

According to the criminal complaint, Schifino detailed how he stabbed Andre Gray's dog to death and then mixed its blood with the blood of Gray to try and throw off detectives.

Schifino was charged with arson, theft, abuse of a corpse, animal cruelty and tampering with evidence.

The other suspect, Hubert Wingate, was arrested back in May and is charged with homicide.

According to Schifino, he was contacted by Wingate back in October, saying he was going to kill someone. Schifino says Wingate picked him up in Gray's car and the two of them went to Gray's apartment the next day.

Schifino says Gray was already dead when they went inside. He told police that he then killed Gray's dog by stabbing it at Wingate's request. The two men than attempted to use bleach to try and cover up the blood. Police say they dumped Gray's body in the river in the Arnold-New Kensington area.

Schifino said he stabbed Gray several times because the body wouldn't sink in the river. He then said Wingate asked him to burn Gray's car to destroy any evidence.

Gray's family was spared gruesome testimony today when Schifino waived the preliminary hearing and sent the case to trial.

He will remain in jail because he's already in a state prison because of a parole violation.

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.