Michael Rosfeld's Attorney Upset Prosecution Seems To Be Holding Back Evidence Ahead Of Trial
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A motions hearing was held this afternoon for former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld, who is charged in the shooting death of teenager Antwon Rose.
Jury selection for Rosfeld's trial is scheduled to begin next week across the state in Dauphin County.
The defense for Rosfeld was testy.
Why?
Attorney Patrick Thomassey wanted to know -- was he getting new police reports a week before jury selection, including this month-old report on statements made by William Ross, the man who was shot in this drive-by outside of Fa's Market in North Braddock?
In the report, Ross says Rose shot him before Rose himself was shot by Rosfeld fleeing the same car minutes later.
"The beef was between me and him, that car came by, he shot me," Ross told a state police corporal. "I ran to the store. I didn't report it; five minutes later he was dead."
The video seems to say otherwise, that the shots came from the back of the car and that Rose was up front, but Thomassey is still disturbed that he's getting information from the prosecution so close to trial.
"I just want to know if there's anything else out there. Quite frankly, what's the hold up?" he said.
Judge Alexander Bicket pressed the prosecution to come up with all information before he travels to Harrisburg for jury selection.
The jury is being selected in Dauphin County in hopes that its members won't be influenced by pre-trial publicity. It will sit in Allegheny County, where the case is slated to begin on March 19.
Thomassey also presented the court with this list of 104 potential defense witnesses -- including Ross and Trevon Robertson -- the driver of the car that day.
Thomassey said he just reviewed another new police report in which Robertson has shifted his account of the events. The prosecution indicated that his new statement may benefit the defense.
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