Greene man held for court in slaying case
WAYNESBURG – A homicide charge against a 27-year-old Graysville man will be held for court after short preliminary hearing Wednesday before Magisterial District Judge Lee Watson resulted in little new details in the case. James Russell Petrie of Chapman Road in Wind Ridge remains in the Greene County Prison after police say he shot his 17-year-old wife to death with a .22 caliber rifle for not washing the dishes.
All charges in the case including criminal homicide, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person will be held for court, Watson ruled Tuesday.
Petrie initially was charged with aggravated assault, attempted homicide and recklessly endangering another person before his wife’s death as a result of the incident.
Jessica Kathleen Marie Petrie, 17, of 337 Chapman Road, Graysville, died at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., around 9:18 p.m. where she had been taken for treatment about 10 hours after the Thursday morning assault.
Investigators said an autopsy conducted at 3:45 p.m. July 8 by Allegheny Coroner Cyril Wecht revealed that the wound was inflicted from close range and determined and injury to Petrie’s right index finger as a graze wound from a bullet.
State police trooper Thomas Schuster testified during the preliminary hearing Wednesday that he was the third police officer to arrive at the Petrie home, a trailer in a rural area along Chapman Road, and said that when he arrived at 11:24 a.m. officers had just taken Petrie into custody and the victim was in the ambulance.
Schuster said Petrie was in the house watching “Dr. Phil” when his wife woke up and sat down in the living room watching television as well.
Schuster testified that Petrie questioned her about dishes that were not washed form the night before and she told her husband she would “get to them.”
Petrie then tried to kiss her but she resisted, Schuster said, and then Petrie threatened to shoot her in the head, walking to the entertainment center and picking up a rifle.
Schuster said Petrie made an initial statement after being read his rights that he “worked the action” on the weapon three times to ensure it was not loaded.
But during an interview later that day at the Waynesburg barracks, Schuster said Petrie, upon learning the gun would be tested to see if his story corroborated with physical evidence, said he did not test the weapon to see if it was loaded and simply pulled the trigger, consistent with his original statement made on the telephone just after the incident.
“He said, ‘I should just shoot you in the head,’ and then pulled the trigger,” Schuster testified.
Schuster said Petrie pulled the trigger and the gun fired, striking his wife in the right temple. Petrie reportedly told Schuster that he did not believe the weapon was loaded when he pulled the trigger.
According to the original police complaint, Petrie called 911 and informed authorities “he shot his wife” and remained at the Richhill Township scene until emergency personnel arrived.
He noted that the couple had been married just over a year.
He is being held in the Greene County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bond.
Michael Fletcher, one of the responding EMT’s and who arrived on the scene about 25 minutes after Petrie called 911, said when EMS Southwest personnel entered the home, Petrie was on the telephone and the victim was on the couch, breathing but unconscious.
Fletcher said a rifle was on a couch cushion beside Jessica and that the emergency personnel asked Petrie to remove the weapon to a different part of the house, which he did.
Fletcher described Petrie as cooperative but not distraught.
Both Fletcher and Schuster testified Wednesday that they did not smell alcohol on the defendant and Schuster said he did not suspect alcohol played a role in the incident.
Schuster said Petrie obtained the weapon, a .22 caliber bolt-action long rifle, the day before from Jessica’s brother’s residence, after he left for military service.
Police said they also found a 12-gauge shotgun on top of the entertainment center but did not find any ammunition for either weapon in the house.
David DeFazio, a Pittsburgh attorney representing Petrie, argued that a charge of involuntary manslaughter would better fit the case, but Watson held the criminal homicide charge for court.
“I think it is clear,” DeFazio said. “There was never any domestic violence between the two. He used extremely bad judgment … and there were tragic results.”
But Greene County District Attorney Marjorie Fox said there is case history to support the criminal homicide charge.
“His actions and his words display a specific intent to kill, which is far greater than involuntary manslaughter,” Fox said.