Lawyer goals to discredit prison murder cost with deadly accident statistics
WILKES-BARRE — When Louis Weihbrecht was charged with an open depend of prison murder for what District Lawyer Sam Sanguedolce alleged was the deliberate killing of Mark Svadeba in September, Lawyer John B. Pike is fostering a protection different.
Svadeba’s demise was merely an accident, Pike fiercely advocated throughout a motions listening to earlier than Luzerne County Decide Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. on Tuesday.
Weihbrecht, 56, proprietor of the Outsiders Bar on South Foremost Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, was charged by Plains Township police and detectives from the district lawyer’s workplace with the open depend of prison murder, alleging he deliberately ran over Svadeba along with his 2007 Chevrolet Silverado truck on Sept. 13, 2024.
Courtroom data say Svadeba was standing subsequent to his Harley-Davidson motorbike in entrance of an auto-repair storage on North Foremost Avenue, Plains Township, when Weihbrecht confirmed up within the Chevrolet truck.
Svadeba and Weihbrecht exchanged phrases when Weihbrecht, court docket data allege, deliberately ran over Svadeba, dragging him almost 30 ft. The 2 males had been reportedly in a dispute a few lady.
Following Weihbrecht’s arrest on Sept. 16, 2024, Sanguedolce, throughout a information convention, defined the open depend of prison murder was filed as investigators imagine Weihbrecht supposed and intentionally ran over Svadeba.
Throughout Tuesday’s motions listening to, Pike used Pennsylvania and Luzerne County statistics of pedestrians killed by a motorcar, and none rose to the extent of a prison murder offense. Pike countered by explaining Svadeba walked in entrance of Weihbrecht’s truck.
“This was a motorcar accident versus a pedestrian, that’s all that is,” Pike argued.
Assistant District Lawyer James L. McMonagle responded that there’s clear and convincing surveillance footage that reveals the 2 males arguing, and Weihbrecht accelerating his truck to run over Svadeba for almost 30 ft and backing up the truck to run over Svadeba a second time. McMonagle additional argued the car parking zone was adequately illuminated by lights.
Pike is advocating Weihbrecht solely supposed to strike the Harley-Davidson motorbike when Svadeba walked in entrance of the truck.
Different points argued throughout the motions listening to had been to restrict the testimony of the prosecution’s knowledgeable who inspected Weihbrecht’s truck and to ban any private opinions concerning the automobile, and to ban prosecutors from figuring out Svadeba as a “sufferer” earlier than the jury.
Sklarosky stated he’ll challenge his rulings at a later date.
Weihbrecht’s trial is scheduled for September. He stays jailed with out bail on the county correctional facility.