New leads emerge when old case featured on TV

New leads are coming in on an open 1992 Wilkins Township homicide case after it was aired on the cable television show 'Unsolved Mysteries,' county police said.

'We got a lot of response from the show,' said Allegheny County Homicide Lt. Jack Brennan. 'We went out of our way with this one and put it on television.

'I've got a file here that's more than 2 inches thick. We're still on this case and will be until we solve it.'

The victim, David Hurley, 34, of Jones Avenue, Turtle Creek, was fatally shot as he was heading toward Mr. Donut on Route 22 between 3 and 3:30 a.m. June 13, 1992, before leaving for a canoe trip with the Boy Scouts.

Hurley was sideswiped by a young man driving a light-colored Honda while traveling west on Route 22 in Wilkins Township near Carl's Tavern, Brennan said. When Hurley got out of his vehicle, he was punched, then shot in the chest. When he was running away, he was shot at again.

About a half-hour after he left, he came home bleeding and told his wife, Pamela, he had been shot. Hurley was pronounced dead around 6:15 a.m. at UPMC Presbyterian, Oakland.

Anyone with information about this case should call homicide detectives at (412) 473-1300, or radio dispatch at (412) 473-3000.

The latest showing of the case on the Lifetime cable channel was June 25, nine years after the homicide.

'Someone may want to unburden themselves,' Brennan said. 'Their conscience might be bothering them, if they know what happened or had been told about the incident. Maybe someone witnessed something at the time, didn't come forward, and will come forward now.'

Police said the investigation has continued since the shooting, although some of the original detectives are no longer on the force.

'We had some good leads on this case back when it happened,' Brennan said. 'Of the original detectives, Dave McManus passed away and Bob Lazzaro retired. We had the whole squad working on it. Four more detectives who worked on the case have since retired.'

Wilkins Township police Chief Keith Guthrie said he can't divulge any information about the case because it is being investigated by the county.

Rose A. Domenick can be reached at rdomenick@tribweb.com or (412) 380-8521.