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Friday, January 17, 2003

By Michael A. Fuoco, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

The Rev. Sylvester A. Holmes, the former McKeesport police chief and current assistant minister at Zion Baptist Church, talked frankly about how his son, Thomas C. Holmes, came to be killed in McKeesport Jan. 9.

The younger Holmes, 44, of Fairview Street, a convicted drug dealer and user, was for years a confidential informant for McKeesport and other police agencies.

The latter avocation likely was a motive in his slaying, Allegheny County police said yesterday in announcing an arrest in the case.

Holmes, who was a law officer for 25 years, said that his son didn't work for police to get drugs off the street but to get money to put them into his system.

"If Tommy was working for anybody it really was for Tommy because of the drug habit he had over the years," his father said. "His primary goal was to support his habit in any way he could. It was a vicious cycle."

Allegheny County homicide Sgt. Jeffrey Korczyk said the arrest of a Braddock woman, on information provided by Holmes, is what led to his killing by the woman's half-brother, Joseph Rhone. Rhone was charged yesterday with homicide.

McKeesport police arrested Makinma Gustave, 30, on drug possession charges the day before Holmes was killed. Police said that because of that, Rhone, 20, of Shaw Avenue, sought out Holmes, who lived nearby, and chased him about a half block until he was able to gun him down with a silver .380-caliber pistol in front of a home on Madison Avenue.

Witnesses told police they had heard four gunshots, a period of silence of about a minute and then four or five more shots. An autopsy showed Holmes died of multiple gunshots to the head and body.

He may have already been wounded when he tried to seek safety at 637 Madison, telling the resident there, "Please help me. They're trying to shoot me." Before the resident could call 911 from inside his house, he heard gunfire and then found Holmes dead on his stoop.

Rhone, who also is known as Joseph Nixon, was arrested on the homicide charge yesterday morning in the Allegheny County Jail. He had been there since Wednesday when he was arrested by McKeesport police on an unrelated terroristic threats charge stemming from an incident earlier on Jan. 9. In that incident, police said, Rhone had displayed a silver pistol, the same color as the one he was seen with as he chased and shot at Holmes.

Rhone's brother, Yusef Rhone, 19, with whom he lived, told police his brother had a silver .380-caliber pistol, according to an affidavit supporting the arrest warrant.

Moreover, the affidavit said, Yusef Rhone told police that on the day of Holmes' fatal shooting, the brothers had discussed how Holmes had "set up" their sister and Joseph Rhone left their residence on foot. He said his brother knew where Holmes lived, that he heard multiple gunshots in the general vicinity and that his brother returned to their home and said he had just shot Holmes.

Korczyk said Joseph Rhone, who has an arrest record for drugs, conspiracy, burglary and open lewdness, admitted to detectives that he had killed Holmes. Rhone said the men had argued over a drug deal from 2002 and that he shot Holmes in self defense, an allegation Korczyk dismissed as "self-serving" and baseless.

Evidence will be presented against Rhone at a coroner's hearing Jan. 27.

For the elder Holmes, no more evidence is needed about the scourge of drugs.

"My son was a very good young man," he said. "There but for the grace of God go I. We all have our weaknesses. Drug addiction is one of the worst.

"It's my son today. It could be your sons or daughters tomorrow."