Man pleads guilty to murder in stabbing death of Pittsburgh-area woman
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to third-degree murder in the stabbing death of a Tarentum woman in 2019.
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala announced in a news release that Juan Hayden was convicted of killing 55-year-old Susan Jeffries. A jury found Hayden guilty of third-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Officials said in August 2019 that Hayden beat, strangled and stabbed Jeffries in her Tarentum home on East Ninth Avenue. She was stabbed once in the abdomen, according to authorities. She was taken to a local hospital, where she later died. Jeffries is survived by her two children.
At the scene in Tarentum, detectives questioned Hayden, who confessed to confronting Jeffries about having another man in her apartment. Then, according to the criminal complaint, Jeffries became upset with Hayden and "came at him."
Hayden told law enforcement that he was holding a dinner plate in one hand and a knife in the other, and stabbed Jeffries in the chest. He was then accused of putting the knife behind the couch. It was later recovered by law enforcement.
"Any homicide case is a tragedy because there is a loss of a life involved," Zappala said in the news release. "As for the case of Ms. Jeffries, we are very pleased with this outcome and believe justice was served."
Hayden is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 16, 2024.
