Jan 11, 2023 2 min read

The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is considering an expedited appeal to a judge’s ruling to keep court documents related to a deadly shooting in Rostraver Township sealed.

Keven Van Lam, 55, is currently incarcerated in the Westmoreland County jail on unknown charges related to the shooting death of Boyke Budiarachman, 55, an Indonesian native living in Rostraver, in the Rostraver Square parking lot Nov. 5.

Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani sealed Lam’s case the next day, barring the public from typically basic information such as the charges filed against Lam.

In December, Feliciani denied a motion to unseal the records brought by Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a nonprofit legal firm, on behalf of the Observer-Reporter, the Herald-Standard and the Mon Valley Independent.

Feliciani argued that unsealing the arrest warrant for Lam would compromise the integrity of an ongoing investigation.

The Superior Court docketed an appeal from the newspapers on Jan. 5. That Day Paula Knudsen Burke, a local legal initiative attorney with Reporters Committee, filed a motion to have the appeal expedited.

The filing argues that it is important the appeal be heard swiftly.

“Expedited resolution of this appeal is critical because, without timely access to judicial records and proceedings, the public cannot effectively monitor the pending Lam prosecution,” the filing reads.

The proposed schedule from Reporters Committee would have both parties submit their final arguments by Feb. 6, prior to Lam’s preliminary hearing, currently scheduled for Feb. 13.

The Superior Court responded to the request on Jan. 6, and ordered that Lam and David Shrager, Lam’s attorney, be added to the case. Both prosecutors and Shrager are to respond to the proposed schedule by 4:30 p.m. today, per the court’s order.