Former local woman accused of Washington County slaying
WASHINGTON – A woman who lived in Brownsville and Uniontown has been arrested for allegedly shooting her husband to death Dec. 21 at their South Strabane Township, Washington County, home. Delmay Beatrice Kelly, 27, previously Delmay Beatrice Ames, was in the Fayette County Prison on a parole violation when South Strabane Township police filed charges of criminal homicide against her. Because Kelly was in jail when the charges were filed, she was not immediately arraigned and it was not immediately clear if she had an attorney. She will be arraigned on the homicide charge Monday before District Justice Jay Weller.
Police initially treated the death of her husband, Jack Kelly, 27, as a suicide.
According to Washington County District Attorney John Pettit, Jack Kelly died from a single gunshot wound to the head at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at his home at 1732 E. Maiden St., Washington.
South Strabane police list Delmay Kelly’s first name as Delmy.
“He had been married to Delmy Kelly for about two months,” Pettit said. “She called and reported to police that her husband had just shot himself. There were some things investigators had questions about. It was never ruled a suicide.”
Kelly allegedly confessed to shooting her husband after being confronted with statements from two inmates at the Fayette County Prison, who told police that Kelly had told them she shot her husband, authorities said. Pettit said there is no indication as to why Kelly killed her husband.
“She admits to being the one who pulled the trigger,” Pettit said.
Kelly had been jailed Dec. 23 for violating her probation on a 2001 drunken-driving conviction, according to Fayette County Court records. The nature of the violation was not specified. She listed her address at that time as 322 High St., Brownsville.
She pleaded guilty in February 2000 to charges of endangering the welfare of children.
She reportedly left her children, then 6 and 4 years old, home alone at 13 Apple St., Uniontown, for at least an hour on July 27, 1999. She was sentenced to 12 months’ probation.
Records indicate that Ames (Kelly) violated the terms of that probation by leaving the state without permission, supposedly to get married in Kentucky. She admitted to leaving the state and was released from the Fayette County Prison on April 20, 2001.
Pettit said Kelly will be arraigned in both Fayette and Washington counties on Monday.
and will then be moved from the Fayette County Prison to the Washington County Correctional Facility.