Pittsburgh-area man charged with homicide after violent crime spree

A man accused of fatally stabbing a woman in Penn Hills has been charged with homicide, and now police say they've linked him to nearly a half-dozen other crimes across the area.

Allegheny County Police said in a press release on Saturday that while investigating 45-year-old Jinx Hairston's death, they connected the suspect, 43-year-old George Mitchell II of Homestead, to several other violent crimes on Thursday, including two hit-and-run crashes that injured four people, a carjacking and an attempted stabbing. 

Suspect charged in fatal stabbing

County police said it all began when they were notified around 9:30 p.m. Thursday about a stabbing on Penny Drive. Investigators said Mitchell drove Hairston to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

According to the criminal complaint, doorbell footage captured Mitchell arriving at Hairston's Penny Drive home around 6:39 p.m. Detectives said the video showed Hairston answering the door and allowing Mitchell inside.

In the footage, investigators said Hairston could be heard asking Mitchell why he had not been answering his phone and what he needed help with.

Police said data recovered from Hairston's iPhone showed activity stopped around 6:50 p.m. after notifications were triggered at both the front and back doors of the home. Investigators said Hairston then began missing calls and text messages.

When officers later searched the residence, they reported finding blood throughout the home along with a fixed-blade knife, a white T-shirt, and bloodied black Adidas sneakers.

According to the complaint, Hairston's daughter identified the shoes as belonging to Mitchell.

After talking to witnesses and reviewing surveillance video, police said they learned Mitchell was responsible for the stabbing.  Investigators say the case is connected to a string of violent incidents in North Braddock, Penn Hills and Wilkinsburg earlier that same day.

Police lay out crime spree timeline

County police on Saturday detailed a timeline of the alleged crime spree, saying it began shortly after 3 p.m. when the Eastern Regional Mon Valley Police Department was dispatched to Bell Avenue in North Braddock after a woman said a man approached her from behind, grabbed her and held a gun to her head. She told police he chased her around a parking lot while pointing the gun at her as she tried to get away.

Then, about an hour later, Penn Hills police were called to Dauntless Drive for reports of a man trying to carjack an elderly couple at knifepoint. Police said Mitchell approached each victim, held a knife to their necks and demanded the keys, which he later dropped before fleeing in a black Cadillac sedan.

Not even half an hour later, police said Penn Hills police were called to Sampson Street for reports of a man and a teenager who were hit when a Cadillac veered off the road. Less than half a mile away and just one minute later, police said Mitchell hit two teenage girls on Doyle Street in Wilkinsburg. 

Then, at 7:30 p.m., Penn Hills police were dispatched again after a man walking on Penny Avenue said he was nearly hit by a black Cadillac sedan. The man told police that the driver got out and tried to stab him with a knife. 

Suspect arrested after manhunt

Investigators said Hairston's Nissan Rogue SUV was missing when family members discovered her injured inside the home.

According to the complaint, Mitchell later returned to the residence, driving the SUV while officers were securing the scene. Police said he gave officers the name "Jinx" before fleeing, leading officers on a pursuit.

Police later spotted the SUV again in Penn Hills and initiated a second pursuit. Investigators said the chase ended when the vehicle crashed near Frankstown Road and Woods Road.

Mitchell was taken into custody around 5 a.m. on Friday.  

County police said Mitchell was denied bail and remains in the Allegheny County Jail.