Man Sentenced In Pittsburgh-Area Care Facility Abuse Case

PITTSBURGH, PA — A Beaver County man will spend 5 to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty in a case that involved the abuse of residents at McGuire Memorial, a New Brighton facility that services people with severe physical, intellectual and emotional disabilities.

Tyler Smith, 32, of New Brighton, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, and one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

According to Western Pennsylvania United States Attorney Eric Olshan's office, Smith and co-defendant Zachary Dinnell worked at McGuire and were supposed to assist residents with all aspects of daily life.

From approximately June 2016 to September 2017, Smith admitted that he and Dinell engaged in a conspiracy to commit hate crimes against residents of the facility because of the residents’ actual or perceived disabilities.

Smith and Dinell carried out assaults in a variety of ways, including by punching and kicking residents, rubbing liquid irritants in their eyes, spraying liquid irritants in their eyes and mouths, and in one instance removing a resident’s compression stocking in a manner intended to inflict pain.

Several of the assaults were recorded on Dinell’s cell phone.

In one instance, Smith admitted jumping on top of a 13-year-old minor, while the child was lying prone on his bed, and while Dinell filmed the incident on his cellular phone. Smith further acknowledged that immediately after recording the video, Dinell texted the video to him.

Dinell previously pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced in January to 17 years in prison.