Death penalty off the table for suspect in Duquesne killings
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Allegheny County prosecutors are no longer pursuing the death penalty against a man charged in a 2013 double homicide that occurred in suburban Pittsburgh.
District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. notified Judge Jill Rangos on Wednesday that he no longer intends to seek capital punishment against 30-year-old Michael Robinson.
Robinson has been accused of fatally shooting 29-year-old Lawrence Short and 18-year-old Tyrone Coleman in Duquesne on May 6, 2013. A black bandanna found at the scene reportedly linked Robinson to the killings.
Zappala wrote that “intervening events” have caused him to reconsider his pursuit of the death penalty against Robinson.
Defense attorney Ken Haber says he’s pleased the notice has been withdrawn because Robinson is innocent.
Jury selection in Robinson’s trial begins on Monday.