Apr 15, 2022 3 min read

A Monessen woman accused of causing severe injuries to another woman when she choked her inside a Charleroi home in October pleaded guilty to lesser charges Thursday and could be released from jail this summer.

Geena Maria Shrader, 28, of Monessen, pleaded guilty in Washington County Court to two misdemeanor counts of strangulation and one charge of reckless endangerment, and she was immediately sentenced by Judge Brandon Neuman to serve 8 to 23 months in jail followed by two years probation.

Shrader was accused of assaulting Alexcia Matinsky during an argument inside a Seventh Street home Oct. 10. Both women pulled out knives at one point, and another woman who was trying to break up the fight was cut by Matinsky on the finger. Shrader later placed her hands on Matinsky’s neck and made a jerking motion before removing her from the house.

Shortly after, Matinsky was found unconscious in the front yard, and she was hospitalized in Pittsburgh for several weeks with a torn trachea. She has since been released from the hospital and is recovering.

Shrader was also accused of choking Matinsky during a Sept. 26 incident at the Seventh Street home.

Charleroi Regional police charged her with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, simple assault and strangulation in the two separate cases, along with burglary in the Sept. 26 incident. Prosecutors agreed to drop all charges except reckless endangerment and reduce the two strangulation counts to misdemeanors in exchange for the plea.

Shrader has been held at the Washington County jail since the Oct. 10 incident, meaning she is eligible for parole in June. As part of the plea agreement, Shrader is not to have any contact with Matinsky.

“This offer was tailored with the needs of the victim in mind,” Assistant District Attorney Sam Zappala said.

After the hearing, Shrader’s attorney, Neil Marcus, said his client maintains her innocence, but decided to take the plea offer because of the seriousness of the charges facing her. He added that Shrader was acting in self-defense during the Oct. 10 encounter with Matinsky.

“We seriously questioned it was my client’s actions – she was trying to defend herself – that caused the injuries to Ms. Matinsky,” Marcus said.

Marcus said he has evidence that Matinsky was involved in a fight with another woman earlier on Oct. 10, and he claimed that the injuries she suffered in that incident ultimately led to her hospitalization.

Matinsky did not attend the plea hearing and no victim impact statements were given during the proceeding.