By Terri Hill | September 17, 2018
The suspect in a Sept. 3 home invasion in Penn Hills, where an elderly couple was bound and beaten, is now facing homicide charges after the male victim died, police say.
Charles Pershing, 36, of Penn Hills was arrested by Allegheny County Police on Sept. 5 and charged with two counts of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, robbery, unlawful restraint and other offenses in connection with the home invasion.
According to a criminal complaint, during the early morning hours of Sept. 3 Pershing forced his way into the couple’s home in the 1800 block of Runnette Street, tied up a 65-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman and beat them.
The female victim sustained minor injuries, but the male victim, who has been identified as Loxley Johns by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, was severely beaten and died Monday.
On September 5, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Pershing, but he had already been arrested the day before by sheriff’s deputies on an outstanding bench warrant.
Pershing remains in the Allegheny County Jail and a date for his preliminary hearing has not been scheduled.
Terri Hill can be contacted at terri.hill@grantstreetnews.com
