Jennygirl
05-11-2007, 10:18 AM
Thursday, May 10, 2007
By Jim McKinnon and Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A homeless man from Pittsburgh has been charged in the beating of his girlfriend, who later died at Canonsburg Hospital on Tuesday evening.
William E. Lowry, 49, was being held yesterday in the Washington County Correctional Facility on charges of assault and harassment in connection with the death of the 47-year-old woman, who was found along the berm of Route 19 in North Strabane.
North Strabane police have not released her name pending notification of her relatives.
Lt. Dan Levi, the lead investigator, said the woman also was homeless but has a brother and sister in the Pittsburgh area. Police hadn't found them by late yesterday.
An autopsy was scheduled for last evening, but Lt. Levi said Mr. Lowry told officers the two had a "lovers' quarrel."
Lt. Levi said both were from Pittsburgh, although he wasn't sure what neighborhood, and traveled back and forth to Washington County.
Police began searching for Mr. Lowry after finding the woman lying along Route 19 at 5:44 p.m.
While Sgt. Thomas McDonald was on the scene, a motorist told him that he saw the woman with a man who was then walking along the highway near Race Track Road.
In an interview, Lt. Levi said the couple took the T from Pittsburgh to South Hills Village and planned to take a bus to Washington, Pa.
For some reason, they didn't take the bus and started walking to Washington. On the way, they got into an argument during which Mr. Lowry struck her, grabbed her by the face and pushed her.
He said the woman, who has a history of health problems, fell a couple of times during the fight.
The first time, he said, she hit her chest on the metal guard rail and started vomiting.
Mr. Lowry said he helped her up, but she then took a swing at him, missed and fell again. This time, he said, she may have hit her head on the guard rail, police said, "as he heard a loud thud and noticed her lying on the ground."
He said he helped her sit up on the guard rail, where she vomited again.
At that point, he said, he decided to leave her and started walking south to Washington.
Lt. Levi said Mr. Lowry, a former dishwasher, has a criminal record for assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and other offenses.
He was being held on $5,000 bail pending a preliminary hearing May 17 before District Judge Jay Weller.
If the cause of death is determined to be an injury from the fight, Lt. Levi said, his department will confer with the district attorney's office to decide if Mr. Lowry will be charged with homicide.
By Jim McKinnon and Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A homeless man from Pittsburgh has been charged in the beating of his girlfriend, who later died at Canonsburg Hospital on Tuesday evening.
William E. Lowry, 49, was being held yesterday in the Washington County Correctional Facility on charges of assault and harassment in connection with the death of the 47-year-old woman, who was found along the berm of Route 19 in North Strabane.
North Strabane police have not released her name pending notification of her relatives.
Lt. Dan Levi, the lead investigator, said the woman also was homeless but has a brother and sister in the Pittsburgh area. Police hadn't found them by late yesterday.
An autopsy was scheduled for last evening, but Lt. Levi said Mr. Lowry told officers the two had a "lovers' quarrel."
Lt. Levi said both were from Pittsburgh, although he wasn't sure what neighborhood, and traveled back and forth to Washington County.
Police began searching for Mr. Lowry after finding the woman lying along Route 19 at 5:44 p.m.
While Sgt. Thomas McDonald was on the scene, a motorist told him that he saw the woman with a man who was then walking along the highway near Race Track Road.
In an interview, Lt. Levi said the couple took the T from Pittsburgh to South Hills Village and planned to take a bus to Washington, Pa.
For some reason, they didn't take the bus and started walking to Washington. On the way, they got into an argument during which Mr. Lowry struck her, grabbed her by the face and pushed her.
He said the woman, who has a history of health problems, fell a couple of times during the fight.
The first time, he said, she hit her chest on the metal guard rail and started vomiting.
Mr. Lowry said he helped her up, but she then took a swing at him, missed and fell again. This time, he said, she may have hit her head on the guard rail, police said, "as he heard a loud thud and noticed her lying on the ground."
He said he helped her sit up on the guard rail, where she vomited again.
At that point, he said, he decided to leave her and started walking south to Washington.
Lt. Levi said Mr. Lowry, a former dishwasher, has a criminal record for assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and other offenses.
He was being held on $5,000 bail pending a preliminary hearing May 17 before District Judge Jay Weller.
If the cause of death is determined to be an injury from the fight, Lt. Levi said, his department will confer with the district attorney's office to decide if Mr. Lowry will be charged with homicide.