PITTSBURGH — The search for Anthony M. Kennedy, 43, who was wanted for the death of a 23-year-old Cleveland woman, ended Wednesday when he turned himself in to the Allegheny County Police Department.
Flanked by his attorney, Blaine Jones, Kennedy remained silent as he walked into the Allegheny County Police Department headquarters, roughly 140 miles southeast of Kennedy's home on the West Side of Cleveland. Kennedy had been sought by the Cleveland Division of Police since Friday after detectives secured an arrest warrant for aggravated murder.
Kennedy is originally from the Pittsburgh area, Jones said, and still has family in the area.
Authorities say Adrianna K. Taylor, 23, who was Kennedy's live-in girlfriend, was reported missing on Nov. 13. The last time she had been seen was Oct. 8, her family said.
On Thanksgiving, her family's worst fears were realized when Allegheny County authorities discovered Taylor's body buried in the backyard of a residence. The medical examiner's office determined Taylor died from a gunshot wound to the head and ruled her death a homicide. According to an arrest warrant, Kennedy was recently seen within the rear of the property. His sister either currently lives at the home or lived there previously.
"It was the biggest shock, we were hoping that she would be found alive," said Taylor's aunt Kelley McAlpin. "Adrianna was a sweetheart, a beautiful girl."
Jones, Kennedy's attorney, briefly fielded questions from reporters after his client was taken into custody.
"Mr. Kennedy contacted my office [Tuesday] when he learned of the warrant and I, in turn, contacted the Allegheny County detectives department. I was directed to contact [Cleveland Police] and I spoke to an FBI special agent... I was informed that there was essentially a nationwide manhunt for my client," Jones said. "I let Mr. Kennedy know this. It’s always dangerous when you have a warrant, let alone a national manhunt, for an arrest warrant like this. It was Mr. Kennedy’s desire to turn himself in [as soon as possible]. He did not want any kind of harm to come to him or his family. Quite frankly, he wanted to face the charges."
At the time of her disappearance, Taylor was living with Kennedy in an upstairs unit at a duplex in the 3200 block of West 98th Street. A team of FBI agents and Cleveland Police detectives spent several hours Wednesday combing through the property. At times, agents were retrieving and returning pieces of equipment that are typically used in the collection of evidence and processing of a crime scene.
"We heard so many things about him and his anger issues, things he would say to other people at work," said McAlpin. "So all the fingers pointed to him."
Jones urged the public to remain patient and let due process play itself out.
"If anyone is charged with something this serious, I think you run the gamut of emotions. But I thought it was commendable that he turned himself in," Jones said. "That’s the first positive step. It’s not like he’s on the run somewhere. He’s not going down the highway in a white Bronco [like OJ Simpson]. He turned himself in. [Kennedy] contacted my office and he retained us ASAP. I told him the way that I like to do things. I think it’s prudent to turn someone in [as soon as possible] because you never know the potential harm when law enforcement has to serve very serious warrants."
During the police investigation, Taylor's car was found in Pennsylvania and shipped back to Cleveland for crime processing. It is unclear when Kennedy will be extradited back to Ohio to be arraigned.
RELATED: Arrest warrant issued for boyfriend of missing Cleveland woman found dead in Pennsylvania
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