George L. MacPhee, a sergeant with the Rankin Borough Police Department, was shot and killed on April 9, 1926, while attempting to make an arrest at the scene of a store burglary.
Joseph Gariti was arrested weeks later when a hat found at the scene was traced to him. At trial in October 1926, the judge directed a verdict of acquittal on the grounds of inadequate evidence.
No other arrests were made.
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Author: Bill Lofquist
I am a sociologist and death penalty scholar at the State University of New York at Geneseo. I am also a Pittsburgh native. My present research focuses on the history of the death penalty in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pa.
This website is dedicated to collecting, analyzing, and sharing information about all Allegheny County cases in which a death sentence was imposed.
Please share any questions or comments, errors or omissions, or other matters of interest related to these cases or to the broader history of the death penalty in Allegheny County.
View all posts by Bill Lofquist
State Killings in the Steel City: The History of the Death Penalty in Pittsburgh 