Pittsburgh-area man to serve life in prison after pleading guilty to stabbing father and aunt to death
GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- A man will spend life in prison after he pleaded guilty to stabbing his dad and aunt to death in Westmoreland County nearly two years ago.
Neal Hubish, 43, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and simple assault on Tuesday, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said. He'll serve automatic life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and one to two years for the simple assault conviction.
Police were called to a house on State Route 130 near Burrell Hill Road in Penn Township around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 9, 2021 and found Hubish standing in the front yard. Police said he told officers his father and aunt were arguing.
His father Arthur and his aunt Maria Puskarich were found inside the home with stab wounds, police said. His father was dead and his aunt was taken to the hospital but died on the way.
Authorities said a 5-inch knife was found at the scene and Hubish confessed to killing his father and aunt.
According to the criminal complaint, the Penn Township Police Department had been called to the home multiple times in the past to investigate domestic violence incidents between Neal Hubish, his father and his aunt. Some calls dated back to 2006.
"While I can't imagine the grief and pain this incident caused the relatives of the Hubish and Puskarich family, I hope this action today brings justice for them," Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said about the guilty plea in a press release.
