Penn Hills Man Charged in Homicide of Mutilated Body in Plum

Allegheny County Police have charged a Penn Hills man, Vito Pelino, with homicide after police located a decapitated and mutilated body along Route 909 on the border of Plum and Oakmont.

Police found the body of who they believe is William King Thursday night and matched up the case to a missing person report from last week.

Pelino was arraigned this morning in Municipal Court, Downtown. Magisterial District Judge Randy Martini ordered him to be held without bond and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Feb. 25.

The victim's body currently is at the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office for an autopsy and identification confirmation.

King left the Hula Bar in Verona last Sunday night on Feb. 13 at around 2 a.m. with a girl and, after catching a ride with a friend, went to her apartment in the 100 block of Oakmont Avenue, Oakmont Police Chief David DiSanti said.

Police said Pelino, 25, of 5515 Verona Road in Penn Hills, likely committed the crime out of anger after walking in on the two having sex.

Pelino volunteered to take King home and then killed the victim, police believe, though the location of the crime still is unknown.

Pelino also solicited another person to drive him to the wooded area off Route 909 to dispose of the body, DiSanti said.

According to police, the man found Pelino in his mother's basement with garbage bags containing body parts, including one with a human leg sticking out.

When they found the body in the woods, it was in pieces, including a torso, two arms, two legs and a head, police said.

Although the girl with whom the victim went home is not a suspect in this case, she is currently facing charges of aggravated assault and domestic violence after attempts to stab her boyfriend the day after the murder, police said.

Police are currently withholding her name to keep from compromising the investigation.

"It's like a bad soap opera," DiSanti said.

King's brother approached Oakmont police last week with a missing persons case, DiSanti said.

"He said his brother was very solemn and never late," he said.

King's mother, Yvonne, reported him missing in Penn Hills as well.

Police were unable to determine the initial cause of death, DiSanti said

"The body was so mutilated, it was hard to tell because it was cut up into so many parts," he said.

Pelino also was charged with kidnapping and abuse of a corpse.

He has a history of being charged for crimes, including terroristic threats and stalking in 2006, which were held for court, and aggravated assault and disorderly conduct in 2007, which were dismissed.

Police said that Pelino unexpectedly arrived at the Penn Hills Police Department with information concerning the missing persons report last week. Pelino told detectives then that he did not go to the Oakmont Avenue apartment, nor did he drive King anywhere.

Police arrested Pelino Thursday without incident when he left his apartment.

This article was last updated at 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18.