BEAVER, Pa. — Prosecutors called several witnesses to the stand on Tuesday in the trial against Brett Ours. He’s accused of attempted homicide in the beating of Preston Coleman at the Aliquippa VFW in 2025.
One of those witnesses was Ours’ ex-girlfriend. The other witness is the victim in this case. He told the jury he thought he was going to die.
Over the first two days of trial, the jury has seen video of what the district attorney calls the brutal attack of Coleman at the Aliquippa VFW on January 5 of last year.
“You know, for a while, probably for the first couple weeks, if not the first month, it was very touch and go on whether or not he was going to make it,” Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible said.
Prosecutors are using the video to try and prove to the jury that Ours was trying to kill Coleman.
Ours’ ex-girlfriend took the stand and told the jury she and Ours went to the VFW that night to have a few drinks. They were talking with Coleman, whom she said they’d never met before.
When a discussion started over a shooting that happened less than 24 hours earlier at a nearby bar, she said Ours became agitated and then started beating him. Police said Ours repeatedly strangled, kicked and punched the victim for 30 minutes, slammed a barstool over his head and pressed it against his throat.
Coleman, who was in a wheelchair during testimony Tuesday, told the jury he thought he was going to die.
“It was definitely a tough day for him and his family,” Bible said.
Coleman told the jury that Ours said he was going to kill him.
Ours’ ex-girlfriend said he had a knife on him that night. She said he had given it to her at some point, then asked for it back. She said she refused, saying she was afraid he was going to use it.
The DA said if convicted, Ours faces at least 10 years in prison.
“It’s probably a minimum of 10 years, but that minimum could be higher,” Bible said. “It could be 15 or 20.”
Prosecutors are expected to rest their case sometime on Wednesday. It’s unclear if Ours will take the stand in his own defense.
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