Jurors heard how Karli Short’s last movements became part of the case against Isaac Smith.
MCKEESPORT, Pa. — Karli Short walked out of the home where she was staying after a phone call in the first minutes of Sept. 13, 2021, and was shot behind the house soon after.
That brief sequence became a key part of the murder case against Isaac Christopher Smith, who was convicted May 29 and sentenced June 2 to two consecutive life terms without parole. Prosecutors said Smith lured Short outside and killed her because he believed her pregnancy would expose him to his longtime girlfriend and family. Smith’s defense denied that he killed her and argued that the prosecution had not proved motive or identity beyond a reasonable doubt.
Short, 26, had been staying at her uncle’s home near Furnace Alley in McKeesport. Her uncle told investigators he heard her speaking to someone before she went outside. He heard her ask whether the person was coming to the front or back of the home, then heard a gunshot. A home camera showed Short walking out the back door at 12:22 a.m. A gunfire alert sounded nearby at 12:23 a.m. Her body was found later that morning by a neighbor.
The killing happened two days after Short had texted Smith about a gender reveal party, according to evidence described in court. Prosecutors said Short believed Smith was the father of the baby and had asked him for money. Smith and Short had been romantically involved, but Smith told police they had been together only a few times and were not in a relationship. He also said he had a girlfriend and had not told her about Short’s pregnancy.
Within hours of the shooting, Smith arrived at Allegheny County Police headquarters. He told detectives he had heard rumors connecting him to Short’s death and wanted to clear his name. Over about three hours, Smith denied involvement and said he would be in the child’s life if testing showed he was the father. Detective Mark Restori later told jurors that police believed him at first. “He found us,” Restori said in court, describing how Smith came to investigators before they had to find him.
The prosecution’s case developed after that interview. Investigators examined video timing, communications and gun evidence. Smith told police he had firearms, including a Smith & Wesson revolver. Authorities later said he pawned a revolver about two weeks after the shooting and that ballistics testing matched it to the fatal bullet. Prosecutors used the pawned weapon to argue that Smith’s calm police interview was not proof of innocence but part of an effort to distance himself from the crime.
Jurors also heard about the DNA result that showed Smith was not the father of Short’s unborn child. Defense lawyers said that fact weakened the prosecution’s motive. Prosecutors said it did not clear Smith because he did not know the result when Short was killed. Deputy District Attorney Ryan Kiray argued that Smith acted on what he feared was true, not on what a later test proved. The prosecution said Short was prepared to tell others that Smith was the father and that Smith wanted to prevent that from happening.
The defense told jurors there was no clear reason for Smith to kill Short. His lawyers emphasized his voluntary police interview and his statement that he was willing to support the child if he was the father. They also questioned whether prosecutors had relied too heavily on a story about his personal life. Smith’s attorney, Thomas N. Farrell, later said the defense was disappointed by the verdict and would look at where to go next.
The jury deliberated for about two hours before finding Smith guilty of first-degree murder in Short’s death and first-degree murder of an unborn child. The verdict came after a trial that began May 19 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Prosecutors had earlier withdrawn a notice seeking the death penalty, but the first-degree murder convictions still carried mandatory life imprisonment without parole. The judge ordered the life terms to run one after the other. The case drew public attention in part because Short was the daughter of Brandon Short, a former Penn State and NFL linebacker. He attended the trial and spoke after sentencing about his daughter’s life and her plans for motherhood. He said the later DNA result brought the family one narrow comfort because it showed the unborn child had not been killed by her father. Relatives said Short was excited for the birth and should be remembered for more than the way she died.
McKeesport officials and residents had mourned Short soon after her death, and her family later supported work in her name. The trial gave the public its fullest account of the evidence years after the shooting. It also showed how investigators moved from an interview they initially believed to a prosecution built on timing, ballistics and motive. The defense maintained that the verdict did not end every legal question and left open the possibility of an appeal.
Currently, Smith remains sentenced to life without parole as of June 19, 2026. The next step, if pursued, would be post-sentence litigation or an appeal by the defense in Pennsylvania court.
Author note: Last updated June 19, 2026.