Suspect In Pitt Student's Murder Appears In Court For Unrelated Rape Charges
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A man who is already headed to trial for the murder of a Pitt student was back in court on rape charges Friday.
Following the murder of Alina Sheykhet, Matthew Darby fled to Myrtle Beach. Once police brought him back to Pittsburgh, he was held not just for the murder, but for two rapes.
"There's a lot of things that give me pause about this case," Darby's attorney, David Shrager, said.
In one of the rapes, an alleged 17-year-old victim testified Friday that she agreed to go on a date with Darby. She made him pull over when he was using his phone while driving.
They then walked into some woods, where she says he grabbed her from behind, slammed her head into a tree, forced her to the ground and had intercourse despite her pleas to stop.
On cross-examination, she admitted they had talked about having sex in text messages, and after the alleged attack, they went out to dinner.
"These two were discussing having consensual sex, and then they go to two places where young people would go to have sex: a park and in the woods," Shrager said.
The alleged rape happened just days before Sheykhet was found beaten and stabbed to death in her apartment near the Pitt campus. Regardless, Darby's attorney is maintaining innocence in the murder case and the rape.
"The alleged victim in this case testified that they had arrangements to meet and engage in intercourse. That was her own testimony," Shrager said.