RODNELL BURTON - 17 yo (2010)/ Convocted: Jon Anthony Black - Pittsburgh PA

Pittsburgh PA ---- A 17-year-old boy from
Pittsburgh's Homewood neighborhood has been missing for nearly a month
after dropping his girlfriend off at her home in Plum, his mother said.
Pittsburgh police said on Monday afternoon that Rodnell Burton's
girlfriend recently contacted them and gave them   a photograph of him,
saying    she felt something is wrong because she has contact with
Burton on a daily basis.Police said Burton's mother called to
report him missing on April 3 at 9:15 a.m. She said she last heard from
him after he gave his girlfriend a ride home on March 28 at 2:30 p.m.



Burton,
of Singer Place in Homewood, is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall  and
130 pounds, with tattoos covering both arms.  The clothing that he was
last wearing is unknown, police said.Burton was driving a white
2000 Chrysler Sebring with Pennsylvania license plate HJX-9029, police
said. He's known to frequent Homewood, Braddock, Wilkinsburg and
Blairsville, according to his girlfriend.Detectives from the
Pittsburgh Police Bureau's Missing Persons department said they've
learned through Burton's mother that he has left home in the past but
she always had some idea of his whereabouts.Anyone who has
information regarding Burton or his whereabouts is asked to call
412-323-7141 or 911.  Callers may remain anonymous.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/23267672/detail.html
story link - no updates

http://pleasehelpthesemissingchildren.blogspot.com/2010/04/rodnell-burton-17-missing-pennsylvania.html

INDIANA, Pa. -- A body found stuffed inside a barrel and dumped in a creek in Indiana County may be that of missing Pittsburgh teenager Rodnell Burton, but state police have not confirmed it and are staying mostly quiet about their investigation while they continue searching for a suspect.

Rodnell Burton

Burton, 17, of Singer Place in Homewood, was last seen April 3. Family members told Channel 4 Action News that they've been contacted by investigators who said he's believed to be the victim in their homicide case, but they don't know why anyone would have wanted to do him harm."He was a beautiful kid, he had a heart as big as all outdoors, and he had a million-dollar smile, and anything that you wanted from him, he would give you," grandmother Donna Reed Williams said Tuesday. "You didn't have to take anything from him. He would just give you whatever he had. That's the way he was ... the last thing he shared before he disappeared was what he wanted to do with and for his mom."Earlier in the day, Channel 4 Action News' Jennifer Miele reported that Pennsylvania State Police at the Indiana station had filed charges against Jon Anthony Black, 32, of Yukon. It's not clear how he may have known Burton, or if he even knew the boy at all.

• April 26, 2010: Pittsburgh Teenager Goes Missing After Dropping Girlfriend In Plum
  

Police are showing photos of Black and of his many tattoos, including the likeness of Adolf Hitler on his upper right chest, an angel of death in the middle of his back and a large skull on his upper right arm.

Jon Black

The markings are "absolutely unique to Mr. Black, so we're hoping that somebody may have seen these tattoos, may have saw Mr. Black and come forward in helping us locate him," Trooper John Matchik said.Slideshow: Images Of Jon Black & His TattoosNo further details of the case have been released. In a short statement Tuesday, police said, "Due to the sensitive nature of the investigation and the possibility of additional actors being charged, the Court of Common Pleas has sealed the criminal complaint and affidavit of probable cause."While police won't say exactly why they are looking for Black, they said anybody who may be helping him stay on the run should consider themselves warned."If we discover that someone is aiding and assisting Mr. Black, they very well could face severe criminal charges for assisting him," Matchik said.Black was last known to live in Westmoreland County, Matchik said, but he also has ties to the area where the body was found by a dive team in the Conemaugh River near the community of Burrell Township, just outside Blairsville.Miele reported that the 55-gallon barrel was found in the water under a bridge along Newport Road. Indiana County Coroner Michael Baker said identifying the body will take some time, and forensics experts are using DNA to help them.Police said they were originally investigating a series of robberies and burglaries, and during the course of that investigation, they got some other information that prompted a search for the barrel.Online court records show Black was awaiting trial on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia filed by Indiana borough police. A county judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest in July when Black didn't appear in court. Black was living with family members in Blairsville at that time, but a woman who answered the door on Tuesday declined to speak with Channel 4 Action News.In January 2004, according to online records, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and related charges -- including another drug paraphernalia charge -- in Westmoreland County and was sentenced to one year minus a day to two years minus two days.
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/indiana/25003890/detail.html

Sep 14, 2010 10:51 pm US/Eastern
Family: Body In Barrel Likely Missing Teenager
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A Pittsburgh family says a body found stuffed in a barrel in Indiana County is believed to be their loved one.

Donna Reed Williams says the family hadn't seen 17-year-old Rodnell Burton since March 28.

"I really didn't think he was dead. I thought he was just hiding out and that he was coming back," she said, "and now that they're pretty sure it's him, I just want everybody involved to be caught."

Williams tells KDKA police called the family and told them they've preliminarily identified Rodnell's remains.

State police have filed homicide charges against 32-year-old Jon Black. He has an extensive criminal record in Westmoreland and Indiana counties and is still on the run.

The charges come after a body was found in a 55-gallon barrel in a river in Burrell Township two weeks ago.

The case has taken Donna's daughter from hopeful to grief-stricken.

"I mean we've all gone through pain, but the pain my daughter has gone through – I cannot express it," she said.

Jon Black has some unique tattoos, including a large skull on his upper right arm, more skulls on his neck and an image of Adolf Hitler on his chest.

"We're begging anyone who knows anything to just come forward," Donna said. "It's not going to bring him back, but at least they don't get off scot-free. I want them caught."

I'll move this once we get a firm ID.

Posted: 12:59 pm EDT September 15, 2010Updated: 1:07 pm EDT September 15, 2010 The Indiana County coroner said Wednesday he still isn't ready to positively identify the human remains found inside a barrel that was pulled from a Blairsville-area creek earlier this month.Coroner Michael Baker said his office continues to work with investigators to provide a "solid forensically sustainable identity."Baker was reacting a report from WJAC-TV's sister station in Pittsburgh, WPXI, which reported the victim is believed to be a missing teenager named Rodnell Burton.Burton's family said police have been in touch with them. The 17-year-old disappeared in March, and the family said it's possible the body that was found could have been there that long.Donna Reed Williams, Burton's grandmother, said, "Even if it doesn't turn out to be my grandson -- I pray it doesn't -- (the person) is still somebody's child and I want people that did that in jail."The human remains were found along Black Lick Creek. Jon Anthony Black, 32, is wanted on one count of criminal homicide in connection with the incident. Police said Black is known to frequent Indiana and Westmoreland counties.Black is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs about 175 pounds. Police said he has brown eyes and hair. He has multiple tattoos on his upper body, including a large skull on his upper arm, skulls on his neck, and a picture of Adolf Hitler on the upper right portion of his chest.Police said Black is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone found to be concealing or aiding Black could be charged with a felony, police said. People with information on Black's whereabouts are asked to immediately call Pennsylvania State Police at 724-357-1960.Stay with WJACTV.com, WJAC-TV News and WJACTV.com Mobile for continuing coverage

Police Arrest Suspect In Body Found In Barrel Case

Jon Anthony Black Arrested In West Virginia


POSTED: 10:49 am EDT September 19, 2010



PITTSBURGH -- A suspect in the case of a body found in a barrel in a western Pennsylvania creek turned himself into police in West Virginia Saturday, according to a police news release.Jon Anthony Black, 32, of Yukon, surrendered to police Saturday in Danville, W.Va. and is being held in the Southwestern Regional Jail in Holden, W.Va., pending extradition.Black has been charged with criminal homicide in the death of the person whose body was found Aug. 31 in a barrel submerged in the Conemaugh River near Blairsville. Police are using DNA to try to identify the victim and have not commented on the cause of death.Authorities have said four people charged in as many robberies at a cigarette store in Derry Township provided information leading to the body's discovery. None of them have been charged in the homicide.The body found in early September inside a barrel and dumped in a creek in Indiana County may be that of missing Pittsburgh teenager Rodnell Burton, but state police have not confirmed it and have stayed mostly quiet about their investigation while they searched for a suspect.Burton, 17, of Singer Place in Homewood, was last seen April 3. Family members told Channel 4 Action News that they've been contacted by investigators who said he's believed to be the victim in their homicide case.It is not clear how Black may have known Burton, or if he even knew the boy at all.Police released photos of Black and of his many tattoos, including the likeness of Adolf Hitler on his upper right chest, an angel of death in the middle of his back and a large skull on his upper right arm.Online court records show Black was awaiting trial on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia filed by Indiana borough police. A county judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest in July when Black didn't appear in court. Black was living with family members in Blairsville at that time, but a woman who answered the door on Tuesday declined to speak with Channel 4 Action News.In January 2004, according to online records, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and related charges -- including another drug paraphernalia charge -- in Westmoreland County and was sentenced to one year minus a day to two years minus two days.
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/25072435/detail.html

Following the surrender of a homicide suspect, Pennsylvania State Police publicly confirmed that the body found in a barrel in a creek near Blairsville, Indiana County, is that of missing Pittsburgh teenager Rodnell Burton.The criminal complaint against 32-year-old Jon Anthony Black was unsealed Monday, and police charge that he beat Burton with a baseball bat, stuffed the 17-year-old's body into a barrel and burned it after Burton came to collect a drug debt owed by Black's friend, Robert Watkins.According to the complaint, police said there were several witnesses at Watkins' mobile home in Conemaugh Township where the killing happened sometime in April. The home is about three miles from the spot where the barrel was found Aug. 31 in Blacklick Creek.
Burton was sleeping on a couch after a night of partying when Black grabbed a bat and beat him over the head, then dragged the teen outside and continued to hit him, police said. The weapon has not been found and may have been burned in the barrel, police said.While the complaint is not clear on specifics of what sparked the violence against Burton, it cites Black's pregnant girlfriend as telling police that the suspect had a "deep seed hatred for blacks."District Attorney Tom Bianco said that, at this point, the drug debt Black's friend owed to Burton is considered to be the motive. Bianco said he will investigate whether a hate crime could be part of the motive.Family members said Burton, 17, of Singer Place in Homewood, was last seen April 3. Police said DNA was used to identify his body.
Police had released several photos of Black and his tattoos -- including Adolf Hitler, an angel of death and a large skull -- to generate some tips from the public to help catch him.Black, of Yukon, Pa., surrendered to police Saturday in Danville, W.Va., and is being held in the Southwestern Regional Jail in Holden, W.Va., while efforts are made to extradite him to Pennsylvania.Authorities said they learned about the existence of the barrel while they were investigating unrelated robberies at a cigarette store in Derry Township, Westmoreland County. Suspects in the robbery are not charged in Burton's death.
Online court records show Black was awaiting trial on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia filed by Indiana borough police when the homicide case broke. A county judge issued a bench warrant for Black's arrest in July when Black didn't appear in court.In January 2004, according to online records, Black pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and related charges -- including another drug paraphernalia charge -- in Westmoreland County and was sentenced to one year minus a day to two years minus two days.

Hearing Continued For Man Charged In Connection With Body Found In Barrel

Posted: 1:39 pm EST November 15, 2010Updated: 4:28 pm EST November 15, 2010BURRELL TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A man charged in connection with the death of a missing teen whose body was found in a barrel was in court Monday for a preliminary hearing. After waiting hours inside the courtroom the hearing was postponed. Defense attornies told WJAC-TV the Indiana County District Attorney requested a continuance to interview witnesses.Jon Anthony Black, 32, surrendered to police in West Virginia in September. Black was later charged with criminal homicide in the death of 17-year-old Rodnell Burton, of Homewood, Pa., who had been missing since March.According to a criminal complaint, Black beat Burton with a baseball bat and hit him in the head, causing his death. Police said Black then burned Burton's body and put it in a barrel and dumped it in the Conemaugh River in Indiana County. The remains were found Aug. 31 in a barrel submerged in the river near Blairsville.Authorities said they are still waiting for DNA tests to positively identify the remains as Burton's, but said they feel certain the body is that of the teen. Burton's family was in court during Monday's hearing.Authorities said four people charged in as many robberies at a cigarette store in Derry Township provided information leading to the body's discovery. One of those suspects, Deidra Endres, told police that the killing was over a drug debt and happened in Conemaugh Township in March.According to the criminal complaint, police said they interviewed Black's ex-girlfriend, Ashley Cecere, who told police that Black had a deep-seated hatred for African-Americans.Cecere said Black told her last summer, "I hate that (expletive)," and "I like to kill him," referring to Burton.
http://www.wjactv.com/news/25799161/detail.html

Body Inside Barrel In Creek Positively ID'd As Pittsburgh Teen
Jon Anthony Black Arrested In West Virginia, Charged With Killing Rodnell Burton
June 9, 2011

PITTSBURGH -- Nearly a year after the discovery of a body inside a barrel in Indiana County, the victim has been positively identified through DNA testing.

Last year, following the surrender of a homicide suspect, Pennsylvania State Police publicly confirmed that the body found in a creek near Blairsville was that of missing Pittsburgh teenager Rodnell Burton.

On Wednesday, Indiana County Coroner Mike Baker said it took 10 months to make the conclusive identification because of the complicated process of comparing DNA from the body to that of Burton's mother.

According to the criminal complaint against 32-year-old Jon Anthony Black, police charge that he beat Burton with a baseball bat, stuffed the 17-year-old's body into a barrel and burned it after Burton came to collect a drug debt owed by Black's friend, Robert Watkins.

Channel 4 Action News' Jennifer Miele reported that according to the complaint, police said there were several witnesses at Watkins' mobile home in Conemaugh Township, the location of the killing. The home is about three miles from the spot where the barrel was eventually found in Blacklick Creek.

Burton was sleeping on a couch after a night of partying when Black grabbed a bat and beat him over the head, then dragged the teen outside and continued to hit him, police said. The weapon has not been found and may have been burned in the barrel, police said.

While the complaint is not clear on specifics of what sparked the violence against Burton, it cites Black's pregnant girlfriend as telling police that the suspect had a "deep seed hatred for blacks."

Additional hate crime charges are possible, District Attorney Tom Bianco said previously, but not likely because authorities believe the drug debt -- not Burton's race -- motivated Black. Still, Bianco acknowledges it is odd that Watkins considered Burton his friend and that Black took such umbrage over another person's debt.

"We don't know the reasons for the inconsistencies, or which version is exactly what took place in the trailer that night," Bianco said. "But the crucial part of it is who delivered the blows to the victim and that's supported by other evidence we have."

Bianco said previously the drug debt Black's friend owed to Burton is considered to be the motive. Bianco said he will investigate whether a hate crime could be part of the motive.

Family members said Burton, 17, of Singer Place in Homewood, was last seen April 3, 2010. Police said DNA was used to identify his body.

Police had released several photos of Black and his tattoos -- including Adolf Hitler, an angel of death and a large skull -- to generate some tips from the public to help catch him.

Black, of Yukon, Pa., surrendered to police Saturday in Danville, W.Va., and is being held in the Southwestern Regional Jail in Holden, W.Va., while efforts are made to extradite him to Pennsylvania.

Authorities said they learned about the existence of the barrel while they were investigating unrelated robberies at a cigarette store in Derry Township, Westmoreland County. Suspects in the robbery are not charged in Burton's death, but are being investigated in the case, police said.

"What we're taking a look at is the involvement of other people who were at the trailer that night, or were active afterward in disposing of the body," Bianco said.
Online court records show Black was awaiting trial on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia filed by Indiana borough police when the homicide case broke. A county judge issued a bench warrant for Black's arrest in July when Black didn't appear in court.

In January 2004, according to online records, Black pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and related charges -- including another drug paraphernalia charge -- in Westmoreland County and was sentenced to one year minus a day to two years minus two days.

Read more: http://www.wtae.com/news/25072435/detail.html#ixzz1Q2zjXKWA

MURDER WITNESS PLEADS GUILTY TO ROBBERIES
Defendant helped crack murder case last year

4/6/2011
One of the witnesses in the Jon Black murder case yesterday pleaded guilty to participating in a series of armed robberies at the Choice Cigarette Outlet in Derry Township last summer. .

33-year-old Robert Watkins Jr. of Clarksburg pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy. He was the robber who raked in the cash at the store while co-conspirators pointed a gun at the clerk in each of the robberies. Co-defendant Diedre Endres is awaiting adjudication for her part in the robberies, and another co-defendant, Jason Kuzemchak of Blairsville, pleaded guilty last month to taking part in two of the robberies, with charges for a third robbery being dropped. Kuzemchak was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison. Judge Debra Pezze yesterday sentenced Watkins to 8 to 20 years.

After their arrests last summer, Watkins and Endres told police about the murder of 17-year-old Rodnell Burton of Pittsburgh the previous March, and they identified 32-year-old Jon Anthony Black as the killer. Police say Burton was beaten to death with a baseball bat and his body was placed in a 55-gallon barrel and burned. The barrel then was dumped into Black Lick Creek, where it was recovered after Watkins and Endres on August 31^st. Black was arrested in West Virginia three weeks later, and is awaiting trial.

Watkins helped Black transport and dump the barrel, but has not been charged in connection with Burton’s murder.

http://www.wdadradio.com/news/Channels/Story.aspx?ID=1397295

Man Gets Prison For Killing Teen Found In Barrel
Jon Anthony Black Charged With Killing Rodnell Burton

UPDATED 5:28 AM EDT Apr 13, 2012

BLAIRSVILLE, Pa. —A western Pennsylvania man will spend 10 to 20 years in prison for the baseball bat beating death of a man whose burned remains were found a 55-gallon barrel dumped in a river.

Jon Anthony Black, 34, formerly of Yukon, Westmoreland County, pleaded guilty Friday in the March 2010 murder of 17-year-old Rodnell Burton, of Pittsburgh.

"He's a young man. He weighed his options. He realized he didn't have to admit guilt -- that was important to him -- and he also knows what his sentence is going to be and there's light at the end of the tunnel for him," said defense attorney Robert Bell.

Burton's family was not in court for Friday's guilty plea.

"I think they're still grieving. I think everyday (that) goes by they miss their grandson and their son and they'll have that for the rest of their lives," said Indiana County District Attorney Patrick Daugherty.

Prosecutors said Burton was hit in the head with the bat before his remains were burned in the barrel later dumped in the Conemaugh River near Blairsville.

Burton's body in the barrel was found Aug. 31, 2010, and Black was charged 10 days later.

Daugherty said the relatively lenient plea agreement is fair because the case "had problems" because it relied on "jailhouse snitches" who said Black killed Burton at a friend's mobile home over a drug debt.

The judge said Black will get credit for the two years he's already served in jail.

Read more: http://www.wtae.com/Man-Gets-Prison-For-Killing-Teen-Found-In-Barrel/12277850#ixzz2w3BjkWIk