Jury begins deliberations in Penn Hills cop killing
PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County jury heard closing arguments Monday and began deliberations in the case of a police officer who was shot to death in 2009.
Prosecutors say 35-year-old Ronald Robinson confessed to killing Penn Hills Officer Michael Crawshaw after he killed another man in a drug-related dispute, but jurors are debating whether Robinson should be charged with first or second-degree murder.
Robinson’s attorney contends that Crawshaw’s death was second-degree murder, a killing during another felony punishable by life in prison. Deputy District Attorney Mark Tranquilli wants the jury to find Robinson guilty of premeditated first-degree murder.
If the jury agrees with Tranquilli, the panel must then decide whether Robinson deserves life in prison or the death penalty.