Latest news with #Svadeba
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Attorney aims to discredit criminal homicide charge with fatal accident statistics
Jun. 3—WILKES-BARRE — When Louis Weihbrecht was charged with an open count of criminal homicide for what District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce alleged was the deliberate killing of Mark Svadeba in September, Attorney John B. Pike is fostering a defense alternative. Svadeba's death was simply an accident, Pike fiercely advocated during a motions hearing before Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. on Tuesday. Weihbrecht, 56, proprietor of the Outsiders Bar on South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, was charged by Plains Township police and detectives from the district attorney's office with the open count of criminal homicide, alleging he intentionally ran over Svadeba with his 2007 Chevrolet Silverado truck on Sept. 13, 2024. Court records say Svadeba was standing next to his Harley-Davidson motorcycle in front of an auto-repair garage on North Main Street, Plains Township, when Weihbrecht showed up in the Chevrolet truck. Svadeba and Weihbrecht exchanged words when Weihbrecht, court records allege, intentionally ran over Svadeba, dragging him nearly 30 feet. The two men were reportedly in a dispute about a woman. Following Weihbrecht's arrest on Sept. 16, 2024, Sanguedolce, during a news conference, explained the open count of criminal homicide was filed as investigators believe Weihbrecht intended and deliberately ran over Svadeba. During Tuesday's motions hearing, Pike used Pennsylvania and Luzerne County statistics of pedestrians killed by a motor vehicle, and none rose to the level of a criminal homicide offense. Pike countered by explaining Svadeba walked in front of Weihbrecht's truck. "This was a motor vehicle accident versus a pedestrian, that's all this is," Pike argued. Assistant District Attorney James L. McMonagle responded that there is clear and convincing surveillance footage that shows the two men arguing, and Weihbrecht accelerating his truck to run over Svadeba for nearly 30 feet and backing up the truck to run over Svadeba a second time. McMonagle further argued the parking lot was adequately illuminated by lights. Pike is advocating Weihbrecht only intended to strike the Harley-Davidson motorcycle when Svadeba walked in front of the truck. Other issues argued during the motions hearing were to limit the testimony of the prosecution's expert who inspected Weihbrecht's truck and to prohibit any personal opinions about the vehicle, and to prohibit prosecutors from identifying Svadeba as a "victim" before the jury. Sklarosky said he will issue his rulings at a later date. Weihbrecht's trial is scheduled for September. He remains jailed without bail at the county correctional facility.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Attorney aims to discredit criminal homicide charge with fatal accident statistics
Jun. 3—WILKES-BARRE — When Louis Weihbrecht was charged with an open count of criminal homicide for what District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce alleged was the deliberate killing of Mark Svadeba in September, Attorney John B. Pike is fostering a defense alternative. Svadeba's death was simply an accident, Pike fiercely advocated during a motions hearing before Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. on Tuesday. Weihbrecht, 56, proprietor of the Outsiders Bar on South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, was charged by Plains Township police and detectives from the district attorney's office with the open count of criminal homicide, alleging he intentionally ran over Svadeba with his 2007 Chevrolet Silverado truck on Sept. 13, 2024. Court records say Svadeba was standing next to his Harley-Davidson motorcycle in front of an auto-repair garage on North Main Street, Plains Township, when Weihbrecht showed up in the Chevrolet truck. Svadeba and Weihbrecht exchanged words when Weihbrecht, court records allege, intentionally ran over Svadeba, dragging him nearly 30 feet. The two men were reportedly in a dispute about a woman. Following Weihbrecht's arrest on Sept. 16, 2024, Sanguedolce, during a news conference, explained the open count of criminal homicide was filed as investigators believe Weihbrecht intended and deliberately ran over Svadeba. During Tuesday's motions hearing, Pike used Pennsylvania and Luzerne County statistics of pedestrians killed by a motor vehicle, and none rose to the level of a criminal homicide offense. Pike countered by explaining Svadeba walked in front of Weihbrecht's truck. "This was a motor vehicle accident versus a pedestrian, that's all this is," Pike argued. Assistant District Attorney James L. McMonagle responded that there is clear and convincing surveillance footage that shows the two men arguing, and Weihbrecht accelerating his truck to run over Svadeba for nearly 30 feet and backing up the truck to run over Svadeba a second time. McMonagle further argued the parking lot was adequately illuminated by lights. Pike is advocating Weihbrecht only intended to strike the Harley-Davidson motorcycle when Svadeba walked in front of the truck. Other issues argued during the motions hearing were to limit the testimony of the prosecution's expert who inspected Weihbrecht's truck and to prohibit any personal opinions about the vehicle, and to prohibit prosecutors from identifying Svadeba as a "victim" before the jury. Sklarosky said he will issue his rulings at a later date. Weihbrecht's trial is scheduled for September. He remains jailed without bail at the county correctional facility.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Attorney discredits criminal homicide charge by using pedestrian fatal accident statistics
Jun. 3—WILKES-BARRE — When Louis Weihbrecht was charged with an open count of criminal homicide for what District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce alleged was the deliberate killing of Mark Svadeba in September, Attorney John B. Pike is fostering a defense alternative. Svadeba's death was simply an accident, Pike fiercely advocated during a motion's hearing before Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. on Tuesday. Weihbrecht, 56, proprietor of the Outsiders Bar on South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, was charged by Plains Township police and detectives from the district attorney's office with the open count of criminal homicide alleging he intentionally ran over Svadeba with his 2007 Chevrolet Silverado truck on Sept. 13, 2024. Court records say Svadeba was standing next to his Harley-Davidson motorcycle in front of an auto-repair garage on North Main Street, Plains Township, when Weihbrecht showed up in the Chevrolet truck. Svadeba and Weihbrecht exchanged words when Weihbrecht, court records allege, intentionally ran over Svadeba dragging him nearly 30 feet. The two men were reportedly in a dispute about a woman. Following Weihbrecht's arrest on Sept. 16, 2024, Sanguedolce during a news conference explained the open count of criminal homicide was filed as investigators believe Weihbrecht intended and deliberately ran over Svadeba. During Tuesday's motions hearing, Pike used Pennsylvania and Luzerne County statistics of pedestrians killed by a motor vehicle and none rose to the level of a criminal homicide offense. Pike countered by explaining Svadeba walked in front of Weihbrecht's truck. "This was a motor vehicle accident versus a pedestrian, that's all this is," Pike argued. Assistant District Attorney James L. McMonagle responded there is clear and convincing surveillance footage that showed the two men arguing, and Weihbrecht accelerating his truck to run over Svadeba for nearly 30 feet and backing up the truck to run over Svadeba a second time. McMonagle further argued the parking lot was adequately illuminated by lights. Pike is advocating Weihbrecht only intended to strike the Harley-Davidson motorcycle when Svadeba walked in front of the truck. Other issues argued during the motion's hearing were to limit the testimony of the prosecution's expert who inspected Weihbrecht's truck and to prohibit any personal opinions about the vehicle, and to prohibit prosecutors from identifying Svadeba as a "victim" before the jury. Sklarosky said he will issue his rulings at a later date. Weihbrecht's trial is scheduled for September. He remains jailed without bail at the county correctional facility.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Attorney for homicide suspect Weihbrecht permitted to inspect truck, scene of fatal crash
Mar. 20—WILKES-BARRE — With no objection from Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney James L. McMonagle, an attorney for homicide suspect Louis Weihbrecht was permitted to visit the scene of a fatal crash and have an expert inspect a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado truck. Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. on Thursday granted the request by Weihbrecht's attorney, John B. Pike, when McMonagle said the only details that need to be worked out is a date and time with the private owner of the garage where Mark Reginal Svadeba was struck by the Chevrolet truck on Sept. 13, 2024. Plains Township police and county detectives allege Weihbrecht intentionally struck Svadeba with the truck, running over and dragging him nearly 30 feet. The two men were reportedly in a dispute about a woman. Pike believes the Chevrolet truck had some type of mechanical defect. The Chevrolet truck was seized by detectives on Sept. 14, 2024, when Weihbrecht surrendered to an off-duty Wilkes-Barre police detective in the parking lot of Kirby Park. A second motions hearing is scheduled in June on Pike's pre-trial motion demanding prosecutors turn over evidence, a list of witnesses who have been interviewed and their statements, a request to prohibit Weihbrecth's prior bad acts, a request to preclude prosecutors from calling Svadeba a "victim" during trial, and to dismiss the entire case. Weihbrecht, 56, of South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, is facing an open count of criminal homicide. His trial is scheduled for September.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Yahoo
Attorney for homicide suspect Weihbrecht wants to inspect truck
Feb. 18—WILKES-BARRE — An attorney for homicide suspect Louis Weihbrecht is requesting to inspect a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and visit the scene where detectives say Mark Reginald Svadeba was fatally ran over with the vehicle. Weihbrecht, 56, is scheduled for trial Sept. 8 just five days shy of the one-year when he was accused by Plains Township police and Luzerne County detectives of intentionally running over Svadeba, 47, outside an auto-repair garage on North Main Street on Sept. 13, 2024. Detectives allege Weihbrecht pulled up in his Chevrolet pickup and had a verbal confrontation with Svadeba, who was standing next to his Harley Davidson motorcycle in front of the garage. During the argument, Weihbrecht allegedly lurched his truck forward running over Svadeba, and reversed the truck dragging Svadeba about 30 feet onto North Main Street. Svadeba died at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township hours after being struck. A witness to the incident testified during a previous court proceeding Weihbrecht went "full-throttle" when he ran over Svadeba. Weihbrecht's attorney, John B. Pike, filed separate motions seeking to visit the scene of the incident as it is private property and to have an defense expert, likely a licensed mechanic, inspect the Chevrolet pickup truck. The Chevrolet pickup was seized by detectives on Sept. 14, 2024, when Weihbrecht surrendered to an off-duty Wilkes-Barre police detective in the parking lot of Kirby Park. Although not referenced in his motion, Pike hinted that an inspection of the truck "may yield results that could corroborate (Weihbrecht's) theory of the case." Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. has scheduled a motions hearing on Pike's requests for Thursday. Weihbrecht, of South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, is facing a criminal homicide charge in county court.
