Jury acquits Jeannette man in Rialto stabbing

Anthony J. Sharp raised his fists and embraced dozens of jubilant family members and friends moments after a Westmoreland County jury found him not guilty of attempted murder and other offenses linked to the stabbing of a man outside the former Rialto Bar and Bistro in Greensburg. .

Jurors deliberated for about five hours Friday before returning the acquittal in a case in which Sharp claimed he acted in self-defense by brandishing a pocket knife against a man he fought inside and out. outside the bar on November 24, 2022.

“I'm just grateful to my family,” Sharp said as he left the courtroom after the “not guilty” verdict.

Sharp, 23, from Jeannette, was a Carlow University high school student and member of the school's basketball team when he was arrested following a series of altercations with a former high school classmate and her sister's former boyfriend.

Prosecutors said Sharp stabbed Joseph Williams 10 times as the confrontation that began in the nightclub portion of the Rialto spilled out into the street after their ongoing altercation resulted in the bar being evacuated. Investigators said Sharp prolonged the fight when he attacked Williams with a knife.

But Sharp said he feared for his life. Sharp testified that his use of the knife was justified as his only means of freeing himself from Williams, who he said ambushed him as the men were leaving the Rialto.

Defense lawyer Stephen Colafella praised the jury's verdict.

“It was a horrible ordeal for them all, and it was a hard-fought cause. I'm happy for AJ and now with this verdict he can move on with his life,” Colafella said.

Throughout the five-day trial, the defense argued that Williams was drunk when he started the fight when he head-butted Sharp over an argument involving a woman he was just talking to before the violence.

A series of prosecution witnesses claimed it was Sharp who prolonged the confrontation and, with a knife in his hand, attacked Williams as the two men left the Rialto.

Witnesses called by prosecutors said Sharp jumped on Williams and brandished the knife before knocking his attacker to the ground.

Assistant District Attorney Katie Ranker told jurors that Sharp was angry and left the Rialto with bloody lips during the initial fight. Ranker maintained that Sharp was seeking revenge. She said jurors should reject claims of self-defense.

“This happened in the street and the defendant could have gotten away,” Ranker argued. “If you stab someone that many times, you’re trying to kill them. He allegedly continued to stab him until he died.

Video from inside the Rialto and from a nearby security camera on the street, played repeatedly throughout the trial, showed parts of the melee but not the stabbing.

The defense criticized the police investigation, saying witnesses who allegedly supported Sharp's account were never interviewed by detectives.

Two defense witnesses testified that Sharp was immediately attacked by Williams outside the Rialto.

Video discovered by the defense in the days leading up to the trial appeared to show Williams on top of Sharp as onlookers tried to pull him away from the fight seconds after the stabbing. Prosecutors had not viewed the video before it was played in court for jurors.

“Joseph Williams was injured on his own initiative. It's his fault. “It's not just his fault, but he's playing the role of the victim,” Colafella told jurors. “This is not attempted homicide. (Sharp) is not guilty of anything .

The Rialto closed its doors shortly after the stabbing, which was the second violent incident at the nearly century-old Greensburg tavern in the previous year. Two men were injured, including a bystander, in a January 2022 shooting that broke out following an argument inside the Rialto, police said.

Westmoreland County Prosecutor Nicole Ziccarelli obtained a court order in May 2023 declaring the Rialto a nuisance bar and ordering it closed until the business is sold.

Greensburg restaurateurs Rich and Danielle Butcher completed the purchase of the former Rialto building late last year and opened a renowned gastropub on site this spring.