UPDATED: Man Stabs Grandmother to Death at Richland Home, Police Say

A 26-year-old man stabbed his grandmother to death Tuesday morning  at their Richland Township home, Northern Regional Police Chief T. Robert Amman said.

Levi Daniel Staver was outside the home in the 3900 block of Gibsonia Road (Route 910) when police arrived about 9:40 a.m. and took him into custody, Amann said.

Staver's grandmother, Constance Johnston, 76, was dead on the living room floor where she had collapsed, the police chief said.

Staver had come up from the basement and stabbed his grandmother in the back as she and his grandfather were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast, Amann said.

When asked about motive, the chief said Allegheny County Police are interviewing Staver at the county station now. 

Staver's grandfather and mother were taken to the Northern Regional Police station to be interviewed, Amman said. Staver's mother was transported there by ambulance because of a medical condition that prevents her from walking, the chief said.

He did not have their names.

Amann said police have come to the house previously, but he was not certain how many times. Staver, his mother and grandparents all lived at the home on Gibsonia Road near the Meridian Road intersection.

When asked if Staver had mental issues, the chief said those questions are part of the investigation. 

He said Staver had no major criminal background but was arrested about a month ago for retail theft in Cranberry Township.

As of 1 p.m., police were still at the home wrapping up their investigation and waiting for a crew from the county Medical Examiner's Office to arrive, Amann said.

Keep checking back with Patch for updates.