Judge denies bond request by suspect in Jeannette stabbing death

Antwone Dupree Thurston II, 24, of Verona will remain behind bars as his criminal homicide case proceeds in Westmoreland County Court.

Judge Timothy Krieger on Friday denied the defense request that he set bail for Thurston, who is accused of fatally stabbing William Osselburn, 62, of Jeannette, following an altercation last Sept. 26 in Jeannette.

Thurston’s attorney, Ryan Tutera, argued that withholding bond isn’t warranted in the case because he said prosecutors have failed to provide sufficient evidence that could support a first-degree murder charge against his client. He noted Thurston has no prior criminal history.

“They can’t prove this was willful, deliberate and premeditated,” Tutera said of the stabbing.

According to testimony at an Oct. 18 preliminary hearing, Thurston and Jasmine Ross were sitting on the porch of their shared Jeannette home, along with a neighbor, when Osselburn got into an argument with the neighbor over money.

Thurston and Osselburn got into an altercation after Osselburn insulted Thurston and Ross and they told him to leave, according to testimony.

As the incident played out, Osselburn was left on the sidewalk, bleeding from stab wounds. He later died at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville.

At the Oct. 18 proceeding, Thurston’s attorneys suggested he has a legitimate self-defense claim.

Assistant District Attorney Adam Barr said a self-defense claim is an issue that should be heard and decided by a jury and shouldn’t be considered in Friday’s pre-trial bond hearing.

“My client was being attacked; how can that be ignored?” Tutera said. He said Thurston was thrown into some bushes during the altercation and that his client was outweighed by Osselburn.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Jennifer Hammers, who conducted the autopsy of Osselburn, testified he stood at 6 feet, 1 1/2 inches and weighed 227 pounds.

Hammers said Osselburn died of sharp force injuries, She said he received six cut wounds and five stab wounds, the most serious being a wound that compromised his jugular vein.

Hammers said the wounds were consistent with a bloody folding knife that Westmoreland County Detective John Swartz testified he recovered across the street from the stabbing scene.

Judge Krieger said the nature of the wounds led him to believe there could be a danger to the community if Thurston were to be released from the Westmoreland County Prison.

Cheryl Osselburn, sister of the stabbing victim, appeared in court to speak out against any bond for Thurston.

“I don’t want to see him getting bail and being out in society,” she said.