WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — Defense attorneys representing four of the seven suspects in the shooting death of a New Kensington man argued Friday that all charges should be dropped against their clients, as none of them actually pulled the trigger.
Prosecutors charged all seven teenagers with homicide and second-degree murder because they said they all played a part in the death of Jason Raiford.
For the first time, we saw three of the teenage homicide suspects walk out of the courthouse Friday.
They shared their sympathies to the family of Jason Raiford.
”Sorry for your loss. Much love, much respect,” Raquan Carpenter said.
The judge held the most serious charges of homicide, second-degree murder and robbery for Elijah Gary, Jonathan Felder, Raquan Carpenter and Avian Molter.
Prosecutors played surveillance video from inside the Valley Royal Court apartment complex of the moments leading up to the shooting on July 3.
The video showed the moment the seven could be seen confronting Raiford inside the stairwell.
There was a fight, and guns were drawn.
Raiford can then be seen walking out of the doorway where he was fatally shot.
Raiford was shot as many as 11 times and suffered gunshot wounds to his skull, stomach, spinal cord and heart.
”This is tragedy. I feel for the victim; I feel for the family. But we know who the perpetrator was. Amir Kennedy was the shooter. (It’s) very clear from the video,” Felder’s attorney, Adam Gorzelsky, said.
The alleged shooter and youngest suspect, Amir Kennedy, waived his hearing, so he was not in court on Friday.
Braedon Dickinson also waived his hearing, and Da’Montae Brooks is still on the run.
Prosecutors revealed the motive behind the murder was to rob Jason Raiford.
Prosecutors said he allegedly owed Gary and Carpenter money for crack cocaine that they sold him.
We spoke to Jonathan Felder’s attorney after the hearing.
He said he hopes his client is cleared of all the charges because he was just going to shoot a rap video and never knew anything like this was going to happen.
”I don’t have any information to say that he did, and I don’t think they presented evidence today to show that he did,” Gorzelsky said.
A lot of new details were revealed in court, including that the rifle used in the murder was allegedly reported stolen from Harrison Township last year.
The case moves one step closer to a trial.
The suspects are due back in court in October.
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