Attorney For Man Accused Of Killing Pittsburgh Police Officer Calvin Hall Decries Case's Secrecy
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The attorney representing the man accused of killing a Pittsburgh Police Officer said her client's right to due process has been denied.
Christin Bey sits in the Allegheny County Jail, accused of criminal homicide in the shooting death of Calvin Hall.
Bey is represented by Carmen Robinson, a former city detective who believes every citizen deserves a defense.
"A police officer could be accused, a retired police officer could be accused, a police officer's child could be accused, it doesn't matter who you are," Robinson said. "We're citizens of the United States. It's important the process be followed."
But in the case of Bey, Robinson said her client's rights to due process have been denied.
Although he was charged and arraigned on criminal homicide charges three weeks ago, an order signed by Common Pleas Judge Jill Rangos states that the case is under seal and will remain off-limits "until further order of court."
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Robinson said she's been kept in the dark about the evidence against her client and cannot form a defense.
"I have no discovery, I have no affidavit of probable cause, I have nothing," Robinson said. "I have as much as you have."
Further, she said Judge Rangos has denied her motion to state that probable cause even exists in this case and canceled his preliminary hearing.
Instead, evidence is being presented before an indicting grand jury, where witnesses can appear in secrecy without fear of intimation.
But Robinson said she's been given no proof of that, either.
"I don't want anyone to be in harm's way because of this situation," Robinson said. "I agree with that. But there are standards that must be met. That's all I'm asking for."
As it has since Bey's arrest, the District Attorney's Office declined all comment Tuesday, but Robinson said regardless of what he's accused of, Bey sits in jail without knowing the reasons why he has been charged.
And that should concern all of us.
"Any one of us could be held in a situation just like this and not be afforded due process," Robinson said. "Neither you nor I would want to sit in this jail without them trying to meet the standard."