Man Convicted In Shooting Death Of 78-Year-Old Jefferson Hills Motel Owner

PITTSBURGH (AP/KDKA) - A man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a western Pennsylvania motel owner more than three years ago.

Jurors in Allegheny County deliberated for just over two hours before convicting 63-year-old Derrick Gallaway, who now faces a mandatory life prison term without possibility of parole.

The trial began Aug. 28.

Seventy-eight-year-old Dehnad Taiedi was shot to death in May 2016 as he worked behind the front desk of the Jefferson Hills Motel, where Gallaway had stayed repeatedly.

Authorities said the victim was killed during a robbery and blood found on a wall matched the defendant's DNA.

Our news partners at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report that defense attorney Elbert Gray Jr. said his client bled walking into the crime scene - not walking out.

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