Man found guilty of murdering woman and unborn child in McKeesport

A jury on Friday found a man guilty of murdering a woman and her unborn child in McKeesport in 2021. 

According to court paperwork, 30-year-old Isaac Christopher Smith was convicted on charges of first-degree murder and first-degree murder of an unborn child in the death of 26-year-old Karli Short, who was five months pregnant. 

Police said Karli Short, the daughter of former NFL and Penn State football player Brandon Short, was found dead with a gunshot wound to her head after officers were called to 25th Street in McKeesport the morning of Sept. 13, 2021, for reports of a woman lying in the backyard of a home. 

Investigators said Karli Short was 17-weeks pregnant with Smith's unborn child when he killed her.

Home surveillance video shown in a court appearance in 2022 showed the back door of Karli Short's cousin's home. It captured Karli Short walking out the back door and into the yard at 12:22 a.m. Detectives said a ShotSpotter alert went off close by at 12:23 a.m., and Karli Short was found in the morning near an alley in the back of the residence.

Detectives said during their interview with Smith, he told them he had three firearms, including a Smith and Wesson revolver, which he said he pawned about two weeks later. Authorities said ballistic testing showed that the revolver that was pawned matched the bullet that hit Karli Short.  

Smith is now awaiting sentencing.