Uniontown couple charged with killing daughter could face death penalty
The former Greene County couple charged in the starvation death of their 23-month-old daughter at their Uniontown apartment earlier this year could face the death penalty.
Fayette County District Attorney Richard Bower filed notice in court this week he will seek the death penalty against Andrea Dusha and Michael Wright Jr. if convicted of first-degree murder in their daughter’s death.
Bower wrote in his filing Wednesday he came to the decision after considering aggravating factors such as the girl’s age and the cause of her death, which he claimed was “by means of torture.”
Lydia Wright died of severe malnourishment and dehydration Feb. 24. Investigators said Lydia weighed only 10 pounds and they believe she was dead for several hours before Dusha brought the girl to Uniontown Hospital after finding her unresponsive.
Investigators allege just before Lydia’s death, she was left alone strapped in a mobile car seat in a bedroom for more than 12 hours while the rest of the family slept together in another bedroom.
Dusha, 26, and Wright Jr., 32, were arrested March 17 and charged with homicide, endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment. They were formally arraigned on the charges Thursday morning by Fayette County Judge Steve Leskinen. Both are being held without bond at Fayette County jail while awaiting trial.
Dusha’s attorney, Wendy Williams, and Wright’s public defender, Jeffrey Whiteko, could not be reached for comment Friday.
The couple and three children previously lived in Cumberland Township before being evicted from an apartment in February 2015. They moved to Uniontown and lived there until the girl’s death.
During a April 26 preliminary hearing, investigators said they found the Uniontown apartment to be in deplorable condition.