PITTSBURGH — The armored car guard accused in a $2 million heist in Pittsburgh has been ordered to stand trial on homicide and robbery charges after an FBI agent said the man admitted killing his partner and taking the money.
Federal and local authorities arrested Ken Konias Jr. in April after nearly two months on the run. When police found him, they said he was hiding in a rundown house in Pompano Beach, Fla.
Konias was working for Garda Cash Logistics on Feb. 28 when prosecutors said he shot and killed Michael Haines and robbed the truck. Haines' body was found in the back of the truck parked near a bridge in Pittsburgh's Strip District.
An FBI agent who testified at the preliminary hearing said the Dravosburg man led investigators to a storage unit where he kept some of the missing $2.3 million following his April 24 capture in Pompano Beach.
The agent testified Konias said he killed Haines in self-defense, but prosecutors say the evidence doesn't support that claim.
According to the FBI agent who took the stand Friday, Konias said Haines was upset that the money scanner wasn't working in the truck, and when he tried to help him, Haines threw the scanner at him.
Konias told agents that he and Haines started fighting and Haines pulled a gun on him, prompting Konias to shoot Haines in self-defense.
"You know it's hard for me to say it's self-defense before we get to look at the evidence,” Konias’ defense attorney Chuck LoPresti said. “Just because someone says it's self-defense doesn’t necessarily mean it fits in the parameters of self-defense."
Pittsburgh police also testified Friday saying that their evidence disputes Konias' claims because the scanner was in place and nothing was torn or removed from Haines.
"The money scanner that was supposedly the catalyst to this entire incident was in its place, rubber banded into its holster, mounted on the wall to the inside of the Guarda truck," assistant District Attorney Mark Tranquili said.
A main witness in Friday's preliminary hearing was FBI Special Agent Gerard Starky. Starkey testified that Konias told him after he left the Guarda truck under the 31st Street Bridge, he visited his grandmother's grave, prayed, cried and left $50,000.
Starkey said Konias told him from there he went to his parents’ house where he showered and left between $100,000 and $200,000.
Konias then stole a license plate from a nearby shopping center and put it on his Ford Explorer, Starkey said. He said Konias told him he then went to a friend’s house and left about $10,000 in a boot on the house’s front porch.
From there, Konias drove to Florida, stopping only for gas, Starkey testified.
Once in Florida, Konias met a cab driver who he paid between $700,000 and $800,000 to help him get fake identification cards, arrange a getaway to Haiti and dispose of his car, Starkey said.
At least $1.1 million of the stolen money has been recovered.
Konias’ parents left the courtroom Friday without making any comment. Haines’ family wasn’t there.
“The Haines family has made it absolutely clear that they don’t want this to turn into any kind of circus. They want to grieve quietly,” Tranquili said. “They want to let the wheels of justice turn.”
Prosecutors have not said if they plan to seek the death penalty for Konias.
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- FBI turns to social media in search for man accused of armored truck slaying
- Armored truck heist suspect's parents urge son to surrender
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