Suicide at Westmoreland jail disclosed months later, results in homicide case being dropped - TribLIVE

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A woman’s death at Westmoreland County Prison in December was confirmed Thursday, more than three months later.

According to Coroner Ken Bacha, Linda Kay Quidetto, 43, of Sharon, Mercer County, was pronounced dead at 3:06 a.m. on Dec. 11 in the emergency room at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg following an incident at the county lockup in Hempfield. Her death was ruled a suicide, Bacha said.

Quidetto was one of four people charged with the Nov. 9, 2017, robbery and murder of 50-year-old Matthew Genard in Youngwood. Two men have pleaded guilty to Genard’s fatal stabbing. Another is in jail awaiting trial.

Quidetto was charged as an accomplice. Police said she helped plan the robbery and was given a share of money and drugs taken during the fatal heist.

Her suicide wasn’t publicly disclosed until this week.

The county’s prison board, which includes all three commissioners, District Attorney John Peck, Sheriff James Albert and Controller Jeff Balzer, conducted public meetings in December, January and February during which the suicide was not discussed.

The first public acknowledgement of her death came when Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani signed a court order to dismiss the case against Quidetto after prosecutors submitted paperwork stating that she had died. That order was signed March 23 but not added to the official court docket until Thursday. Acting Clerk of Courts Megan Loughner said the docket reflects the date court orders are filed and not when they are uploaded to the court’s computer system.

When questioned about the suicide on Thursday, county leaders initially declined to comment. A one-paragraph statement was issued by Warden Bryan Kline and contained no details.

“The prison followed normal procedures upon learning of the inmate’s passing. Out of respect for the inmate and her family, no further information can be released,” according the statement.

Kline took over as warden in February after serving more than a decade as Clerk of Courts. Deputy Warden George Lowther served as the acting warden following the retirement of longtime Warden John Walton last fall.

Commissioners’ Chairman Sean Kertes, when asked about Quidetto’s suicide, said he did not remember specific details.

“We are not hiding anything,” Kertes said, noting the death occurred at a time when jail leadership was in limbo and during the first of two major coronavirus outbreaks there.

Commissioners Doug Chew and Gina Cerilli Thrasher did not return calls seeking comment.

Peck said Quidetto’s death was investigated by county detectives.

“There were video cameras and it appeared no one entered the cell,” Peck said.

Mike Garofalo, Quidetto’s public defender, said he was notified in December about the suicide but was not given any details. Garofalo said jail officials alerted him in early December that Quidetto was in need of mental health treatment. According to court records, Garofalo submitted a request to have Quidetto transferred to Torrance State Hospital. That order was signed by Feliciani on Dec. 2, less than two weeks before her death.

County officials have previously disclosed suicide deaths at the jail.

In 2018, an Arnold man hung himself in a cell after he was charged with robbery. Another inmate’s attempted hanging was thwarted by guards a year later, according to public accounts.

A Vandergrift man hanged himself in 2016 when he used bed sheets attached to air vent in his cell. His was the first suicide at the jail since 2010, officials said at the time.

In 2009, jail officials instituted new security measures to identify at-risk inmates after a rash of suicides resulted in several lawsuits against the county and the jail.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293, rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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