Jury acquits Jeannette man in Rialto stabbing

Anthony J. Sharp pumped his fists and embraced dozens of cheering family members and friends moments after a Westmoreland County jury found him not guilty of attempted murder and other offenses in connection with the stabbing of a man outside of the former Rialto Bar and Bistro in Greensburg.

Jurors deliberated for about five hours Friday before returning the acquittal in a case in which Sharp contended he acted in self-defense when he wielded a pocket knife at a man he fought both inside and outside of the bar Nov. 24, 2022.

“I am just thankful for my family,” Sharp said as he walked out of the courtroom following the “not guilty” verdict.

Sharp, 23, of Jeannette was a Carlow University senior and member of the school’s basketball team when he was arrested following a series of altercations with a former high school classmate and his sister’s one-time boyfriend.

Prosecutors said Sharp stabbed Joseph Williams 10 times as the confrontation that started in the nightclub portion of the Rialto spilled out onto the street after their ongoing altercation resulted in the bar’s evacuation. Investigators contended Sharp prolonged the fight when he attacked Williams with a knife.

But Sharp maintained he feared for his life. Sharp testified that his use of the knife was justified as his only means to free himself from Williams, who he claimed ambushed him as the men walked out of the Rialto.

Defense attorney Stephen Colafella praised the jury’s verdict.

“It was a horrible ordeal for all of them, and it was a hard fought cause. I’m happy for AJ and now with this verdict he can get on with his life,” Colafella said.

Throughout the five-day trial, the defense argued that Williams was drunk when he initiated the fight when he headbutted Sharp over a perceived dispute involving a woman he was speaking with just prior to the violence.

A series of prosecution witnesses claimed it was Sharp who prolonged the confrontation and, with knife in hand, attacked Williams as both men left the Rialto.

Witnesses called by prosecutors testified Sharp jumped Williams and brandished the knife before taking his attacker to the ground.

Assistant District Attorney Katie Ranker told jurors Sharp was angered and left the Rialto with a bloody lip during the initial fight. Ranker contended that Sharp looked to exact revenge. She said jurors should reject self-defense claims.

“This happened out in the street and the defendant could have gotten away,” Ranker argued. “If you stab someone that many times, you are trying to kill them. He would have kept stabbing him until he died.”

Video from inside the Rialto and from nearby security camera on the street played multiple times throughout the trial showed portions of the melee but not the stabbing.

The defense criticized the police investigation, claiming witnesses who would have supported Sharp’s account were never questioned by detectives.

Two defense witnesses testified Sharp was immediately attacked by Williams outside the Rialto.

Video unearthed by the defense in the days leading up to the trial appeared to showed Williams atop of Sharp as onlookers attempted to pull him away from the fight seconds after the stabbing. Prosecutors had not viewed the video before it was played in court for jurors.

“Joseph Williams got hurt by his own doing. It’s his fault. It’s not only his fault, but he’s playing the victim,” Colafella told jurors. “This is not an attempted homicide. (Sharp) is not guilty of everything.”

The Rialto closed shortly after the stabbing , which was the second violent incident at the nearly century-old Greensburg tavern over the previous year. Two men were wounded, including a bystander, during a shootout in January 2022 that spilled out following an argument inside the Rialto, police said.

Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli secured a court order in May 2023 that declared the Rialto a nuisance bar and ordered it shuttered until the business was sold.

Greensburg restaurateurs Rich and Danielle Butcher completed the purchase of the former Rialto building late last year and opened a renamed gastropub at the location this spring.