(File Photo: Caption for Photo: police car lights at night in city with selective focus and bokeh background blur, Credit for Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images/iStockphoto/z1b)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(McKeesport, PA) Thirty-three-year-old Brittany McPherson was let out of jail yesterday on bond by a judge after that judge gave her bail with conditions. McPherson was taken to jail for driving under the influence in McKeesport on February 14th, 2026 and crashing into a car, which ended up killing its passenger, sixty-nine-year-old Donna DeFrances. The conditions that McPherson has to follow state that she must have electric home monitoring, she can not drive a car, and she can not drink alcohol or do drugs. DeFrances died at the hospital after the crash occurred at the intersection of 28th and Rockwood streets. Investigators expressed that toxicology reports showed that McPherson had a blood-alcohol content and THC that was over the legal limit. However, the family of DeFrances is not pleased with the decision of the judge to release McPherson from prison. Rob Longo showed up to court in a wheelchair, with a neck brace, and a boot on his foot. These were all of the injuries he received after police say McPherson crashed into his car. DeFrances was Longo’s mother-in-law, and he was driving her home on the night of Valentine’s Day, after she babysat his stepdaughter for the evening. Longo told WPXI: “They told me they were going to let her out, and I just kind of lost it a little bit. I said I don’t think she should ever be walking the streets again, but I don’t make the rules. That was up to the judge. And I believe the system failed us. I think if you kill somebody, that should be grounds to stay where you’re at. Especially if you kill somebody in the way she did with the kids in the van. Putting everyone in danger around here and they let her back on the streets. You can just go kill someone today and then you’ll be out in a couple weeks, no sweat. Endanger your kids and the lives of everyone around you. It doesn’t matter.” McPherson had no criminal history, which, according to legal expert Phil DiLucente, could be a reason why the judge let her out of jail on bond.
