Criminal Homicide Charges Held Against Suspect In New Castle Triple Homicide; 2nd Suspect Arraigned
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NEW CASTLE (KDKA) -- It was a brutal crime scene last month when Nichole Pumphrey, her 10-year-old daughter Amariah Emery and Pumphrey's boyfriend Lawrence Cannon were found shot to death in Pumphrey's home in New Castle.
On Tuesday, the criminal homicide charges against suspect Steven Procopio were held for Common Pleas Court.
There were points during the testimony where Cannon's father just hung his head and wept. His 30-year-old son was shot to death, and he and his grandchildren can't understand why.
"He loved his kids. He's got four kids They just cry. They just cry and ask for him - that's all. And they wonder what happened," said Lawrence Williams, Lawrence Cannon's father.
After the two-hour long hearing, there were still no clear answers for Williams about the death of his son.
"Everybody say he's at the wrong place at the wrong time. How horrible is that?" Williams asked, holding back tears.
Williams said his son was dating Pumphrey, but did not know Procopio or Anthony Cooper, the two men charged in the case.
"They knew each other and everything like that. They knew the girl, so what was that about?" Williams asked.
Procopio is said to have been babysitting the kids earlier in the day.
In a forensic interview, Pumphrey's 7-year-old said she saw Procopio shoot her sister, Amariah. She said they had gone downstairs after hearing gunshots.
"I mean that girl's awesome. She's brave though. I mean a 7-year-old to hold up like that. It's quite a lot," said Williams.
As the days go by, it doesn't get any easier.
"Sleepless nights, I mean its my son, my son. I go back, I look at the room. I look at his bike and he's just not there," said Williams.
Cooper was arraigned on Tuesday.
According to KDKA Legal Editor Julie Grant, there must be a strategic reason that the cases are being kept separate from one another.
