PITTSBURGH — Two new videos were introduced in court Wednesday in the murder trial of a western Pennsylvania man who is accused of shooting and killing his aunt’s fiancé during a jewelry robbery last summer.
Michael Lapaglia, 23, of Sharpsburg, is charged in Allegheny County with criminal homicide, burglary and robbery in the July 21 shooting death of John Parkes Jr., 59.
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"I knocked on the door to apologize and talk. He choked me, swore at me, had two hands around my neck at the time. I felt my life was threatened. I had a pistol .380 on me. It went off. He fell on the floor,” said Lapaglia, claiming he acted in self-defense.
Homicide Prosecutor Lisa Pellegrini, who sent Dr. Robert Ferrante to prison for life, said she isn't buying Lapaglia's story, calling it a bluff since Parkes died from a bullet wound to the back of his head.
Pellegrini said Parkes, who was Lapaglia’s uncle, had recently told Lapaglia he wasn't welcome in the Parkes’ home any longer.
In addition to playing his taped confession in court, Pellegrini also showed surveillance video of Lapaglia selling jewelry and coins stolen from Parkes’ home just hours after the shooting.
When asked how much money he got for the items, Lapaglia replied, “A thousand dollars.”
Lapaglia claims there was a struggle before the shooting, and he has said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder since his return from active military duty in Afghanistan.
The jury is expected to get the case by Friday.
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