Unity man pleads guilty to lesser charge in knife attack

Rich Cholodofsky | Monday, January 13, 2025 5:29 p.m.

Westmoreland County Prison

William Kennet Evans Jr.

A Unity man who faced attempted homicide charges in connection with a stabbing last year pleaded guilty to a lesser charge as part of a deal with prosecutors Monday.

Prosecutors agreed to allow William Kennet Evans Jr., 62, to plead guilty to one felony count of aggravated assault. They dismissed charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault with extreme indifference, reckless endangerment and simple assault.

According to court records, police said the victim claimed Evans “went crazy all of a sudden” when he struck him in the head with an object. Evans then grabbed a knife and stabbed him in the abdomen. The two men had spent hours drinking vodka and orange juice in his apartment at the Hostetter Hotel in the early morning hours of April 24.

Police said the stabbing victim was able to flee the apartment and sprayed Evans with a fire extinguisher to ward off the attack. The victim was later transported to a Monroeville hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and was treated for a concussion, according to court records.

Evans has been in jail since in his arrest in April.

He was sentenced Monday to serve an additional 11 1/2 to 23 months in jail. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger ordered that Evans will not be given credit for time he has served behind bars since his arrest, nor will he be allowed to gain an early release through good behavior at the jail.