Latrobe man will serve at least 15 years in prison for Derry Township dagger, bat attack

A Latrobe man was ordered to serve 15 to 30 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges related to a brutal assault in Derry Township that left three people severely injured.

Westmoreland County prosecutors say Nicholas McIntyre broke into the Fourth Street apartment where his former girlfriend and her mother lived.

McIntyre used a gold dagger to repeatedly stab the older woman and a man who was sleeping in a downstairs room, police said, before he went up a stairway and attacked the teen, who was described in court records as his former girlfriend.

Police said Karen Short, 60, was stabbed multiple times in her head, throat and chest and was repeatedly struck with a metal baseball bat during the Aug. 23, 2020, attack. Her daughter, 18-year-old Amber Short, was beaten and bitten by McIntyre. Adam Rousson, 42, of Montreal, Canada, also was stabbed and beaten, authorities said.

McIntyre pleaded guilty Friday to 12 counts, including two charges each of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and terroristic threats. Charges related to the allegations he attacked Amber Short were dismissed as part of a negotiated plea bargain.

First Assistant District Attorney Chuck Washburn said the dismissal of the charges was a necessary component to facilitate the plea deal, ensuring that McIntyre’s victims did not have to testify at a trial.

“The victims are in full agreement with the plea offer,” Washburn said.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani ordered McIntyre to serve a 15- to 30-year prison sentence.

All three victims continue to struggle in their recovery from the injuries. One was disfigured and suffers from memory loss, another has had to learn to walk and swallow again, and the third amassed more than $85,000 in medical bills, according a letter submitted to the judge.

McIntyre has been in jail since his arrest a day after the attack. Disposition of his case had been delayed for years to address mental health issues, according the prosecution.

McIntyre told the judge he regrets he hurt the Shorts but maintained there were valid reasons for the attack.

“I understand the situation regardless of what took place. I know I did wrong and I should have called the police,” McIntyre said. “I am truly sorry for what happened that night, but the matter was completely different regardless of what was said. I never meant to hurt Karen or Amber, but I am truly sorry. I can never take it back. All I can do is let them live their lives without me.”