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Dunbar teen awaiting trial for homicide seeking release from jail

By Susy Kelly skelly@heraldstandard.Com 2 min read

A Dunbar teen accused of fatally shooting a Connellsville man is asking a Fayette County judge to set bail so that he may be released from jail while awaiting trial.

Andrew Thomas Hustosky, 17, was charged as an adult on Feb. 14 with homicide and two counts of reckless endangerment for his alleged role in the death of 22-year-old William Oburn Little IV. Hustosky is being held without bond in the Fayette County Prison.

On Tuesday, Hustosky’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Michael Garofalo, filed a motion stating that Hustosky is not a flight risk and has no prior criminal history. He also noted the teen’s age.

Police allege that on Jan. 3, Hustosky and Little were at Hustosky’s house, and Hustosky’s fiancee, Rachel Nixon, began jokingly flirting with Little. Hustosky reportedly told police that he picked up a .22-caliber pistol and aimed it at Little to scare him, but Hustosky claimed he had unloaded the weapon first, police said.

According to police, Hustosky said he wanted to “scare (Little) by making the gun go ‘click.'”

But when Hustosky pulled the trigger, the gun went off, striking Little in the right side of his head, police said.

In March, Hustosky’s attorney filed a motion requesting that the case be transferred to juvenile court, arguing that Hustosky would be more likely to respond favorably to treatment, supervision and rehabilitation under the juvenile system than he would at an adult correctional facility, should he be convicted.

The juvenile transfer hearing is slated for 10 a.m. Nov. 21 before Judge Joseph M. George Jr.

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