PITTSBURGH — A judge denied bond for the ex-boyfriend of murdered University of Pittsburgh student Alina Sheykhet.
Matthew Darby was in court for a bond hearing Monday morning. His attorney said he would try to get bond set at the hearing.
Darby is charged with criminal homicide in the beating death of Sheykhet. Usually, homicide suspects don't get a bond and stay in jail until their trial.
Channel 11 was the station there when Darby’s plane landed at Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday. He was extradited to Pittsburgh after being arrested in Myrtle Beach.
Prosecutors said Monday that they have sufficient evidence to convict Darby of first or second degree murder.
Sheykhet was found beaten to death inside her Oakland home Oct. 8.
"He had a pending case in Indiana, and Indiana was unaware that he had a protection from abuse order in Allegheny County and when he was in jail in Allegheny County, pre trial services was unaware that he had a PFA pending," Del Greco said.
Del Greco says officials in Allegheny County should have been communicating with officials in Indiana County. He says Darby was a violent repeat offender and administrative safeguards are needed.
Darby was served with a PFA that Sheykhet took out against him just two days before her murder.
Sheykhet's parents were with her when she filed a PFA against Darby after he allegedly broke into her home in September. Their fear was that Darby was going to hurt her.
"I don't think they have made a decision one way or the other; the last time we all met, my impression was that they were leaving it in the sound discretion of the district attorney's office," said Attorney Bob Del Greco, who is representing Sheykhet's family.
The former Pitt-Greensburg basketball player was on the run for several days until his capture in Myrtle Beach, when a woman Channel 11 talked to exclusively noticed him outside her window and called 911.
The victim's family attorney was at the hearing to make sure Darby was denied bond, but they're also looking into the timeline leading up to Sheykhet’s death and wondering if there are holes in the system that allowed Darby to be out on bond even though he was facing serious crimes in this county and others.
The family is pushing for legislation in Harrisburg that they want called "Alina's Law." It would allow judges to require PFA defendants to wear electronic ankle bracelets.
Darby faces a preliminary hearing on Nov. 17.
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