Third person is charged in torture, death

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) -- A third person was charged in the death of a man allegedly tortured and killed by his roommates, state police said.
Russell Lee Hilliard of Butler was arraigned Thursday on charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and unauthorized use of automobiles. He was held in Butler County Prison.
Police did not list an age for Hilliard. Prison officials couldn't immediately be reached early Friday.
Hilliard is the third person charged in the death of 30-year-old Jason M. Ritzert, whose body, burned beyond recognition, was found Nov. 11 in a trash bin. The body went unidentified until last week, when his parents contacted authorities. It was identified using dental records and X-rays.
Authorities said Ritzert's roommates, Timothy J. Caldwell, 29, and Melissa A. Adams, 24, tortured and killed him because they thought he stole their money.
Caldwell and Adams, both charged with homicide and related offenses, confessed, police said.
When money went missing from the Butler apartment over the summer, Caldwell suspected Ritzert. He beat Ritzert and, when the thefts didn't stop, Caldwell and Adams burned Ritzert repeatedly, police said.
In early November, Ritzert was forced to wear a T-shirt doused with lighter fluid and was put in a tub and set on fire, police said.
On Nov. 10, when Ritzert became unresponsive, Caldwell kicked him and held his foot on his chest and neck, police said.
Officials said Caldwell, Adams and a third person then took Ritzert's body to the trash bin, where it was set on fire.