PITTSBURGH — Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala is responding to critics who say he allowed suspects in a brutal beating at a Pittsburgh T station off easy.
The victim and several community groups have criticized a decision to offer plea agreements to four of the five men involved that allow them to avoid any jail time. Three of the men accepted the agreements Tuesday, while the fourth accepted his Thursday.
Lockett
David Depretis, 20, Kenneth Gault, 21, and Matthew Laplace, 21, pleaded no contest to criminal conspiracy and endangerment charges. They were sentenced to six months' probation, ordered to perform community service to benefit minorities and undergo drug and alcohol testing.
Ryan Kyle, 21, pleaded no contest to charges of ethnic intimidation, aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit robbery. His bond was revoked, and he could be sentenced to three to six years behind bars.
According to Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE, the fifth defendant, Christopher LaPlace, 24, received six months of probation in a plea bargain on Thursday.
"If five black guys jumped one white guy, nobody would be going home," Lockett said.
On Friday, Zappala defended the plea deals.
"You can see from the video that one person assaults him, actually puts him on the tracks. The other guy is standing there and won't let him come up. The other three just kind of stand around," Zappala said.
The head of the Alliance for Police Accountability told Channel 11 News that she believes all of the cases should have gone to trial.
"The guy that hurt him will go to the penitentiary, and that's a significant step," Zappala said.
Kyle will be sentenced in May.