King convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 2019 shooting
news@greenecountymessenger.com
A Monongahela Township man was convicted last week of voluntary manslaughter in the February 2019 shooting death of William Worry III, but the Greene County jury acquitted him on both first- and third-degree murder charges following the seven-day homicide trial.
Anthony King无毛视频檚 conviction May 11 on the lesser charge elicited an emotional response from Worry无毛视频檚 family as the verdict was read and the victim无毛视频檚 relatives left the courtroom. Several state police troopers were called to the entrance of the Greene County Courthouse for precautionary purposes, although there was no incident.
As King was led away in handcuffs from the courtroom by sheriff无毛视频檚 deputies, he briefly spoke to his relatives who were gathered in the gallery just behind him.
无毛视频淚 love you guys,无毛视频� King said.
There was never a dispute over whether King fatally shot Worry in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun inside King无毛视频檚 trailer at 145 Alicia Main St. in Monongahela Township on Feb. 14, 2019. However, the jury determined it was not premeditated, nor done with malice. In addition to voluntary manslaughter, King was also convicted of felony aggravated assault and two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment.
无毛视频淲hether I agree or disagree with the jury无毛视频檚 verdict, I respect their decision,无毛视频� Greene County District Attorney David Russo said.
During closing arguments, Russo tried to paint King as a cold-blooded killer while the defendant无毛视频檚 attorney, Harry Cancelmi, said the victim had previously threatened King.
Cancelmi called the victim a 无毛视频渕enace无毛视频� multiple times during his closing arguments as he tried to frame the situation as one in which Worry was the aggressor.
无毛视频�(Worry) was someone who sought to bully others. Everyone knew who William Worry was and he advertised it on his fists,无毛视频� Cancelmi said of Worry, who had the words 无毛视频渓ove无毛视频� and 无毛视频渇ear无毛视频� tattooed on each hand.
Cancelmi argued that Worry threatened King on the phone hours before the shooting, and previous assaults on other people made his client fearful of what would happen that night. He also blamed Alicia Pressacco, a mutual love interest between the two men, for her behavior that led them to meet that night, and that she knew King did not want Worry in his house as she moved children无毛视频檚 toys and belongings from the residence.
无毛视频淪he无毛视频檚 the one who (brought) the drama and trouble,无毛视频� Cancelmi said.
In the last few moments inside the trailer, Cancelmi said Worry took an aggressive stance against King, who was holding a shotgun, and then he threatened him once more while daring him to shoot. Cancelmi said Worry 无毛视频渢errorized无毛视频� others, and he asked the jury to be lenient toward his client after examining the totality of the case.
Cancelmi also painted King as a 无毛视频済ood kid无毛视频� who never caused any trouble. Cancelmi talked about how King无毛视频檚 无毛视频渄reams无毛视频� of a life with Pressacco and raising children together turned into a nightmare when she left him without any explanation and then brought Worry over to help her move out.
During Russo无毛视频檚 closing statements, he played a brief cellphone video of the shooting to make his case why the jury should convict King of first-degree murder. Russo argued that King was in a 无毛视频渏ealous rage无毛视频� and was planning to kill Worry the whole time as it became clear Pressacco was leaving the relationship and taking her belongings from his trailer in the Monongahela Township village of Alicia.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 going to eliminate the competition is what he无毛视频檚 going to do,无毛视频� Russo said.
He reminded the jury that King told multiple people that he planned to 无毛视频渂low his (expletive) head off无毛视频� before confronting Worry with the shotgun and killing him.
无毛视频淗e said he was going to do it, and he did it,无毛视频� Russo said. 无毛视频淭here was no delay. He walked out of that bedroom with the intention of shooting William Worry in the face. 无毛视频� Oh, this was a trap.无毛视频�
With the cellphone video of the shooting playing on a large television monitor for the jurors, Russo walked around the courtroom holding the shotgun used in the killing as he narrated the incident and re-enacted King无毛视频檚 movements in the trailer.
After the fatal shot was fired at Worry无毛视频檚 face while he was carrying a Barbie Dream House play set out of the trailer, Russo directed the jury to continue watching the video as King pumped the shotgun and then hovered over Worry无毛视频檚 body to make sure he was dead. After the video ended, Russo told the jury King should be found guilty of first-degree murder because it was premeditated and later executed in the exact manner in which he told people it would happen.
Worry, 23, of Smithfield, Fayette County, died at the scene.
无毛视频淚f you ever wondered what (first-degree murder) looked like, you just saw it,无毛视频� Russo said of the video.
But the jury disagreed and acquitted King of the most serious charges. King, 24, has been held without bond at the Greene County jail since his arrest following the shooting. He will be sentenced by President Judge Lou Dayich at a later date.