Police: DNA links man to slaying of motel manager
A 61-year-old man whose blood police say was found at the scene of a 2016 homicide in Jefferson Hills was held for court Friday after a preliminary hearing in City Court, Downtown.
Derrick “Chino” Gallaway, of California, is charged with killing 78-year-old Dehnad “Dan” Taiedi, manager of the Jefferson Hills Motel, in the early morning hours of May 27, 2016.
Mr. Taiedi died from a single gunshot wound to the head, Allegheny County police Detective Patrick Miller testified Friday. His body was discovered in the motel’s front office after an anonymous 911 caller at 4:16 a.m. reported that someone was either dead or injured inside.
The office was in disarray, Detective Miller testified, and it appeared money had been taken from a cash box. There was evidence of a struggle, and investigators believed Mr. Taiedi was shot when he fought back against a robber.
Police found two shell casings from a 9 mm handgun at the scene, as well as a single bullet hole high in a wall.
Investigators found a trail of blood that led from the front office to a parking spot, Detective Miller testified.
They also found a smear of
blood on a vinyl bank money bag, he said. The DNA in both of the blood samples matched Mr. Gallaway’s, he said.
On cross examination, he admitted he could not say whether the blood trail was made from the office to the parking spot, or from the parking spot to the office.
Mr. Gallaway was charged with the killing in August 2016 but was not apprehended until November 2017, when he was found in a medical care facility in California.
A witness, Charles Wright, testified during the hearing that he overheard two brief phone conversations around the time of the shooting in which Mr. Gallaway and an acquaintance of Mr. Wright’s discussed the robbery.
He said they talked about how much money was at the motel. He also testified that he met Mr. Gallaway around the same time to sell him methamphetamine, and saw that Mr. Gallaway was carryinga gun.
He testified that he ripped off Mr. Gallaway by taking about $100 from him, promising to return with the methamphetamine and then neverreturning.
Mr. Gallaway’s attorney, Elbert Gray, reserved argument during the hearing. Mr. Taiedi’s family did not speak to reporters.
Mr. Gallaway is next scheduled to appear in court for a formal arraignment on March 9.