A judge in Westmoreland County is considering a request for a new trial for a triple homicide in Loyalhanna Township.
On Tuesday, Judge Meghan Billik-Defazio heard arguments from a lawyer representing 64-year-old Kevin Murphy, formerly of Saltsburg. He was prosecuted 12 years ago of killing his mother Doris, his sister Kris and his aunt Edith Tietage in 2009 at the family’s glass business.
Attorney Ken Noga claims that Murphy’s prior legal team provided ineffective assistance and failed to have his mental health evaluated. One of the claims made by Noga was that attorney Robert Bell was not aware of a state case law that prohibits a defendant from waiving their right to attend a jury visit to the scene of the crime. Bell claimed that jurors would have seen his client surrounded by police and not be permitted to speak, and that would present him in a negative light, so he advised his client not to go. He also said that he did not tell Murphy that it would look bad if he was not present.
Judge Billik-Defazio is giving the defense until January 30th to file legal briefs, while the prosecution has until March 1st.
