Pennsylvania – A Pennsylvania man was found guiIty of first-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime in the death of 25-year-old AIyssa earlier this year. The defendant, 26-year-old M. Dutkewicz, was also found guiIty on related counts after a three-day trial that centered on events from May this year. Prosecutors say the killing was premeditated; in Pennsylvania a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence, and sentencing is expected to follow the jury’s verdict.
Pennsylvania authorities responded to a 911 call about gunfire and found the victim with gunshot wounds on a sidewalk outside her home. She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Investigators reported a trail of blood leading from inside the residence to the sidewalk, a door found multiple shell casings recovered near the scene. Video and witness accounts played a role in reconstructing the sequence of events.
The investigation was conducted by local police with the support of the District Attorney’s Office. Pennsylvania authorities collected physical evidence at the scene, reviewed video footage from nearby cameras and interviewed neighbors, family members and other witnesses.
Prosecutors presented search-history evidence at trial showing that the defendant had, according to the district attorney, searched how to Ioad and fire a revoIver in the minutes before the shooting. That evidence was used to support the claim that the kiIIing was planned rather than spontaneous.
Witnesses who spoke with responding officers described hearing an argument, then multiple gunshots. Several neighbors told police they heard the victim scream and saw her run from the house toward the sidewalk before she collapsed. One neighbor’s footage shown at trial captured part of the interaction between the two adults shortly before the shooting.
Officers also noted the presence of the defendant’s vehicle near the scene and license plate reader data that showed the vehicle leaving the area shortly after the gunfire, a detail investigators used to track his movements in the hours after the incident.
The defendant turned himself in to Pennsylvania authorities within about 12 hours of the shooting, according to the district attorney’s office. During the investigation he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime.
Prosecutors say the relationship had been troubled and that the victim had ended the relationship that night; the prosecution argued the defendant acted with intent after the breakup. The defense acknowledged that the defendant fired the weapon but argued the killing occurred in a heated, emotional situation following excessive drinking.
At trial, the prosecution called multiple witnesses, including neighbors and family members, and introduced forensic evidence from the scene. Medical and crime-scene documentation, shell casings and blood-trail analysis were presented to establish the path of events from inside the house to the place where the victim was found.
The district attorney emphasized the timeline and the online searches as proof of premeditation. The defense focused on the context of the breakup and intoxication, arguing those factors affected the defendant’s state of mind. The jury deliberated and returned the guilty verdicts.