A legal scale and gavel.

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A woman has been convicted of attempted murder for shooting her former roommate in Pennsylvania, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli announced on Friday, Nov. 7.

After just over an hour of deliberations, a Westmoreland County jury found Leah H. Gillis, 36, of North Versailles, guilty of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment in the Aug. 2, 2022, shooting of Erik Allison inside a home they once shared.

Gillis became enraged and jealous after Allison told her that he had started a new romantic relationship, prosecutors said. She then fired a round from a century-old shotgun through a glass window and door of the Penn Township home, striking him in the throat and shoulder, according to the district attorney’s office.

Assistant District Attorney Steven Reddy argued that Gillis intended to kill Allison, a man he said she had a romantic interest in but who had rebuffed her advances. Allison, 35, now of Delmont, testified that although the two shared a bedroom, they were never intimate.

Investigators testified that Allison’s injuries were so severe they did not believe he would survive.

Gillis, who had been on house arrest since June 2023, was handcuffed and taken to the Westmoreland County Prison following the verdict. She faces up to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced in about three months, officials said.

DA Ziccarelli commended ADA Reddy for securing the conviction and thanked Penn Township Police for their professionalism during the investigation and prosecution.