Man who kidnapped, killed wife remains on life support
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.
Carol Furmanek, left, and Denise Musolino attend a rally held Thursday by Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern PA to demand intolerance for domestic abuse. On Dec. 1, 1994, Rhonda Furmanek, 24, Carol’s daughter and Denise’s sister, was murdered.
Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania held a rally Thursday at Claysville United Presbyterian Church to demand an end to domestic abuse following the murder of Tierne Ewing, who was reportedly shot by her husband, Kevin Ewing, Tuesday in a West Finley Township barn.
The West Finley Township man accused of kidnapping and then fatally shooting his wife Tuesday night remained on life support in a Pittsburgh hospital Thursday night after he reportedly shot himself minutes after shooting her.
Kevin Ewing, 47, of 388 Blockhouse Run Road, remains at UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh. He was declared brain dead about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, which confirmed he remained hospitalized Tuesday night.
His family made funeral arrangements with William G. Neal Funeral Homes Ltd., 925 Allison Ave., Washington.
He is accused of shooting 48-year-old Tierne R. Ewing inside a barn near 238 Walnut Valley Road, West Finley, after kidnapping her at gunpoint from his mother’s home about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco said she died of a gunshot wound to the head and ruled her manner of death a homicide.
Ewing’s mother, Rosalee “Rose” Riggle, told police Tierne Ewing was staying in a basement apartment at the Blockhouse Run residence for several days with her son. She told investigators she heard a commotion downstairs. When Riggle went to check, she reportedly saw her son with a gun. Ewing held his mother and wife in the basement apartment for about four hours before forcing Tierne Ewing into her car at gunpoint. He then cut an electronic ankle monitor off his leg and handed it to his mother before leaving.
Ewing was free on $100,000 bond but on electronic monitoring while awaiting trial on charges filed by North Strabane Township police for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting his wife earlier this summer, holding her against her will for 12 days.
A search warrant obtained by investigators early Wednesday from District Judge Ethan Ward indicates the owner of the barn notified state police about 6:30 p.m. he saw a pair of muddy pants hanging from the second floor as he rode his all-terrain vehicle around the building to feed his cattle.
When troopers arrived, they saw a man matching Ewing’s description run across the opening on the second floor of the barn. As troopers Douglas Rush and Kevin DeJulius approached, they heard a gunshot and took cover, said Trooper Sarah Teagarden. The two troopers then heard a woman say, “You didn’t have to shoot me.” They then heard a second gunshot.
The troopers called out to Ewing, who told them, “Get out of here.” About five minutes later, the troopers heard a third gunshot. They were not able to make any further contact with anyone in the barn.
The state police Special Emergency Response Team arrived and found Tierne Ewing dead. She appeared to have been shot in the abdomen and head. Kevin Ewing was on his side next to her with a revolver in his hand. He was bleeding from from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police.
Among the items recovered by state police in the barn were a .22-caliber revolver, a fired shell casing, .22-caliber rounds and casings, a variety of medication including Fentanyl patches, Suboxone packets and a drug used to treat migraine headaches, duct tape, a bag with survival gear, zip ties, trail cameras, camping equipment, portable power supply, cellphones, clothing and sleeping bags.
Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern PA held a Call to Action, a Call for Peace rally at Claysville United Presbyterian Church, in response to Tierne Ewing’s murder.
“We’re here tonight to maybe take that first step of making us collectively see domestic violence as an intolerant situation in our society that we will no longer put up with,” said Lisa Hannum, director of operations at DVSS. “Unfortunatley, in 2016, we still as a society expect it, and not only do we expect it but we know it’s going to happen. Far too many people in our community do not feel safe in their own homes,”
Among those who attended the rally were Carol Furmanek and Denise Musolino, the mother and sister of Rhonda Furmanek, who was murdered in 1994.
Rhonda Furmanek was beaten and raped by her estranged husband, William Edward Patterson, Oct. 24, 1994, and while he was in Greene County jail on assault and rape charges, police determined Patterson arranged for his friend, John (JoJo) Fitzerald Lavigne and Patterson’s girlfriend, Tammy Dutton Jones, to kill Rhonda Dec. 1, the day she was set to testify against him at his preliminary hearing.
“(Tierne’s murder) just brought back a lot of horrible memories. My heart goes out to her relatives, her family and friends because I know exactly what they’re going through,” said Carol Furmanek, who speaks out about domestic violence at many events. “It’s something you don’t think will ever happen to you, and then it does.”
Staff writer Karen Mansfield contributed to the report.