Short timeline and key questions in the Duquesne double homicide. In the early morning hours of January 20, 2025, shots were fired inside a Commonwealth Avenue residence. Catherine Lawing, 39, was found at the bottom of a staircase with a gunshot wound to the head after the shooting; she was taken to UPMC Mercy in critical condition and died on January 23, 2025. A second victim, 30-year-old Sean Russell Johnson Jr. of Turtle Creek, was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses identified 28-year-old Ishmeil Muhammad of Pittsburgh, who sometimes stayed at Lawing’s home, as involved; they said Muhammad and Johnson had argued weeks earlier. After the shots were heard, a witness reported seeing Muhammad jump over Lawing’s body before leaving. Police recovered a 9mm ghost gun from a nearby sewer grate. Muhammad was arrested in March 2025 and charged with two counts of criminal homicide plus firearms and tampering counts; a prior robbery conviction made firearm possession illegal for him. He is awaiting a preliminary hearing.

What did neighbours or anyone who knew the household notice in the days before January 20 that might shed light on the argument or movements of those involved?