Alleged West Finley kidnapper brain dead
Kevin Lee Ewing leaves with one of his attorneys after a July 26 preliminary hearing before District Judge Jay Weller on charges including kidnapping and aggravated assault of his wife, Tierne. Kevin Ewing allegedly kidnapped Tierne on Tuesday and she was found dead after a daylong manhunt.
More than 20 police and emergency vehicles, including SWAT and CERT teams, were at the scene Tuesday night.
A West Finley Township man was declared brain dead Wednesday, the day after he allegedly shot and killed his wife after he reportedly abducted her from his mother’s home.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Kevin Ewing, 47, of 388 Blockhouse Run Road, West Finley, was pronounced brain dead at 5:30 p.m. at UPMC-Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Sources indicated he’d suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Ewing was accused of shooting Tierne R. Ewing, 48, who died of a gunshot wound to the head, in a barn about a half-mile from 238 Walnut Road, West Finley. She was found dead following a three-hour standoff with state police late Tuesday.
State police obtained an arrest warrant for Kevin Ewing on charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, and reckless endangerment.
Kevin Ewing had been free on $100,000 bond and also was on electronic home monitoring on charges he allegedly kidnapped and assaulted his wife earlier this summer.
Ewing’s mother, Rosalee “Rose” Riggle, called police about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday to report her son, who had a gun, had gotten into a vehicle with Tierne Ewing and drove off. Riggle told police her son cut off his ankle monitor and handed it to her. She also told police he had held her and his wife in the basement at gunpoint for several hours before leaving.
Riggle told police her son had been living with her since he was released from Washington County jail after his July 8 arrest by North Strabane Township police on charges including kidnapping, aggravated assault and unlawful restraint. She told state police her son was being monitored by the Washington County Adult Probation Pre-Trial Services through the electronic ankle bracelet and Tierne Ewing had a protection-from-abuse order against her husband.
Court documents filed Tuesday with District Judge Gary Havelka indicated Riggle told investigators Tierne Ewing had been contacting her estranged husband and had stayed at the Blockhouse Run home for several days in a downstairs apartment of the residence.
Riggle told police that at about 8:30 p.m. Monday, she could hear arguing and noises coming from the downstairs area of her home. She said she went down to see what was going on and saw that her son had a gun and was arguing with the victim. Riggle told police she recognized the revolver as belonging to her ex-husband. She did not know how her son came into possession of the weapon. He also reportedly had a pill bottle full of ammunition for the gun.
Kevin Ewing reportedly held Riggle and Tierne Ewing in the basement for four hours, yelling at his estranged wife and destroying items in the house. Riggle told police she tried to intervene at one point, but her son reportedly pushed her to the floor. Kevin Ewing reportedly forced Tierne Ewing to pack clothing and food in bags.
He allegedly ordered both his wife and mother out of the house and to his wife’s car and said he should have killed the victim and himself the first time. He then cut off the ankle monitor before getting in the car with his wife and driving off. The car was found Tuesday morning off Walnut Ridge Road, not far from the barn.
Kevin Ewing was arrested in July by North Strabane police who were called after his wife asked an employee of a Racetrack Road credit union for help. Ewing allegedly held her against her will for 12 days, pistol-whipping her and burning her with a metal hot dog stick. He also allegedly locked her in a closet. When township police arrived at the credit union, Tierne Ewing was reportedly hysterical, telling an officer “He’s going to kill me. I don’t want to die.”
Tierne Ewing did not testify at her husband’s July 26 preliminary hearing before District Judge Jay Weller. The arresting officer read her statement into the record instead and he was ordered held on all charges. He was scheduled for an Oct. 12 formal arraignment.