Phone GPS led to arrests in Pa. football player's killing

WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) — Three men have been jailed on charges they killed a standout western Pennsylvania college running back while mugging him for his wallet and smartphone, after the phone’s GPS records led police to two of the three suspects’ homes.

Online court records don’t list attorneys for the men charged with criminal homicide, robbery, conspiracy and other crimes in the Oct. 4 death of Timothy McNerney, 21, who starred at Knoch High School north of Pittsburgh before attending Washington & Jefferson College.

McNerney died of a head injury when he was either struck or fell and hit his head during the incident about 2:30 a.m., when he and a teammate were robbed while walking back to campus from a bar, authorities said.

Washington County District Attorney Eugene Vittone late Tuesday announced the arrests of 24-year-old Eric Wells, of McDonald, and 23-year-olds Troy Simmons, of East Pittsburgh, and Adam Hankins, of Washington, Pa., the city where the college is located, about 20 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.

The suspects weren’t students at Washington & Jefferson College, and it wasn’t clear how authorities linked them to McNerney’s death until criminal complaints became public today.