Trial continues against Pittsburgh man for murder of toddler in Oil City

OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) — The case against Trevaughn Stribling-Jackson24, of Pittsburgh, who is accused of murdering two-year-old Keaton Morrison in the basement of an Oil City home in 2023, is currently going through the Venango County court proceedings.

Stribling-Jackson was charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault, concealing the whereabouts of a child, desecration of a corpse, tampering with evidence, false identity to a police officer and fleeing after Morrison's body was found in the makeshift basement apartment he shared with his girlfriend, Caleigh Gladfelterand her two children.

According to a criminal complaint filed against him by the Oil City Police Department, Gladfelter reported Morrison missing on December 20, 2023. The child had last been seen two days earlier in the care of Stribling-Jackson, who initially claimed the child had been released to a cousin in Erie but was unable to provide contact information for the alleged guardian.

Police officers executed a search warrant for the North Street home and discovered Morrison's body in a canvas sack. The toddler was found under a makeshift table and showed clear signs of physical injuries, including blunt force trauma to the head and neck and a burn mark to the groin area.

Venango County Coroner Christina Rugh later confirmed that Morrison's death was a homicide.

A preliminary hearing was held in February 2024, at which several witnesses testified, including Gladfelter, who was granted limited immunity for her testimony. She is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, manslaughter, two counts of concealing the location of a child, and recklessly endangering another person.

In her testimony, Gladfelter detailed her years-long, abusive relationship with Stribling-Jackson and described how he frequently beat her and her children.

Further evidence, such as text messages between Stribling-Jackson and Gladfelter, was presented that further painted a picture of ongoing abuse of Gladfelter and her sons. The messages included admissions of being “hard on the boys” and claims that Morrison was dating a cousin in Erie.

During the hearing, Oil City Police Officer Larry Drake testified that he followed Stribling-Jackson as he left the house as a passenger in a car to await arrest. When the car was eventually stopped, Stribling-Jackson identified himself as “Ron” before being taken into custody, leading to the charge of false identification.

The preliminary hearing ended with all charges against Stribling-Jackson being tried in court. His bail was denied because the court feared he was a flight risk and found that he had not complied with previous bail conditions.

Stribling-Jackson remains in custody at the Venango County Jail. He is represented by chief public defender Jeffrey Misko. Venango County District Attorney Shawn White is prosecuting the case.

According to court records, no trial date has been set yet.