Michael Rosfeld's Homicide Trial Begins Today With Opening Statements
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OPENING STATEMENTS (Tuesday, March 19 at 9:20 a.m.)
The trial of ex-officer Rosfeld is now underway. Opening statements began just after 9 a.m.
ANTWON ROSE'S FAMILY ARRIVES AT COURTHOUSE (Tuesday, March 19 at 8:30 a.m.)
Rose's family, including his mother Michelle Kenney. arrives at the Allegheny County Courthouse ahead of opening statements.
WATCH: Family's Arrival --
TRIAL SET TO BEGIN (Tuesday, March 19 at 7 a.m.)
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - A white Pennsylvania police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager last year is headed to trial in a case that could put him behind bars for life.
Lawyers for 30-year-old former East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld are expected to argue that the June shooting of Antwon Rose II was justified.
The trial starts this morning and is expected to last about a week.
Rosfeld is charged with criminal homicide for shooting 17-year-old Rose in the face, elbow and back.
The jury, picked in Dauphin County last week, will hear opening statements this morning.
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The fact that Rosfeld shot Rose is not in dispute; a jury must decide if it was justified. Trial lawyer Bill Difenderfer says the prosecution can make a very strong case on the basis of video alone. Cell phone video shows Rosfeld shooting Rose three times in the back.
"You're going to have jurors just with common sense going, you know, why did you have to -- you don't see any weapons, you didn't see anything. The kid was running away. You weren't in any danger, officer. You know what I mean?" Difenderfer said.
Authorities have said Rose had an empty ammunition clip in his pants when he was killed but not a weapon.
Police say Rosfeld made conflicting statements, including that he saw something in Rose's hand that Rosfeld thought was a gun.
Defense attorney Patrick Thomassey will argue that although Rose did not have a gun on him when he was shot, Rosfeld had reason to believe he was armed and dangerous. The defense will be hammering video taken moments before the fatal traffic stop of a drive-by shooting in which Rose was a passenger. Rose did not do the shooting, but Thomassey will argue he was a willing participant in an attempted murder.
"That's a specific intent to kill," Difenderfer said, "so if Mr. Thomassey can show that, it's compelling, very compelling."
Monday, Judge Alexander Bicket indicated he will allow all evidence related to the drive-by shooting but not evidence five hours before when Thomassey maintains that Rose was involved in an armed robbery.
The judge says he'll decide later under which statutes he will instruct the jury. Thomassey wants to restrict their consideration to first-degree murder, which would require pre-meditation, though it's more likely the jury will decide on third-degree charges, which would mean the officer acted with recklessness and malice.
The jury is being sequestered in a downtown hotel. Opening statements are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and the judge has told them they'll be working long days for a week or more.
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