Ex-Boyfriend Wanted In Pitt Student's Murder Arrested In South Carolina
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The man accused in the slaying of his former girlfriend, a Pitt student, in Oakland last weekend has waived extradition.
Matthew Darby, 21, was arrested in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. He will now remain there until a hearing on Oct. 24. After that, he will be brought back to Pittsburgh.
According to Myrtle Beach police, a concerned citizen reported seeing a male tampering with a window at a residence. When officers arrived, they found a man matching the description. Through the course of their investigation, it was determined that the male suspect was Darby.
Darby has already been charged with criminal homicide in the death of Alina Sheykhet.
Now, he has been charged with providing false information to police and loitering for the incident in South Carolina. Each of the two new charges carry a monetary penalty and up to 30 days in jail.
Darby's attorney, David Shrager: "At this point I will be working on a litigation strategy and how to best proceed with my clients defense."
— Christine D'Antonio (@Cdantoniopgh) October 11, 2017
A South Carolina judge denied bond during a hearing Wednesday morning. The judge declared Darby a potential flight risk due to the outstanding warrant in Pennsylvania.
The judge explained Darby's right to an extradition hearing or that he could waive that right. Darby then said he wanted his lawyer.
He also said he wanted his lawyer when asked to give a plea on the charges in South Carolina.
Tuesday night, detectives scoured the streets around the home where Sheykhet was found murdered. They searched in trash cans, bushes, fire escapes and storm drains.
Later in the evening, police used a scope with a camera to search down a sewer drain for more evidence.
Court papers show that police have pieced together where they think Darby was in the hours before Sheykhet was found dead.
Police say he was spotted on the Duquesne University campus before using a car service to head to the street in Oakland where Sheykhet lived.
They've determined that he called her five times that night, but all appear to have gone unanswered.
According to the criminal complaint, he asked the driver several times to stay for 10 minutes longer, until the driver said he had to leave.
According to court papers, surveillance video shows a man matching Darby's description walk down an alley and place a shiny object in the storm drain and then walk over and put another object in a dumpster.
An autopsy showed Sheykhet died from injuries to her head delivered with both a sharp and blunt object.
Police say they've found a claw hammer and two stainless steel knives down the sewer drain, which they believe could be the murder weapons.
One more note revelation from the complaint: Sheykhet's cell phone is missing after the murder.
Police traced it to Westmoreland County, in the Irwin area near the Turnpike.
And it turns out, they have witnesses who say Darby was in that area a few hours after the victim was found dead.
Shekyhet had taken out a PFA against Darby.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Sheykhet's family. More than $7,000 has already been raised. If you would like to help, visit this link.
