Monessen man charged with attempted homicide a no-show at preliminary hearing
Suspect accused of firing gunshots at man outside Charleroi house party
A Monessen man accused of firing his weapon at another person outside a house party in Charleroi last year was ordered to stand trial for attempted homicide, although neither he nor a defense attorney attended Tuesday’s preliminary hearing.
The defense table was empty in Washington County Central Court as testimony was heard in the case against 20-year-old Samuel Valle in connection with the Sept. 2 gunfight in the 600 block of Shady Avenue in the borough.
“Are we ready to proceed?” District Judge Eric Porter asked the prosecution despite no one from the defense being in attendance.
“Yes, the commonwealth is ready to proceed,” Assistant District Attorney John Friedmann responded.
Braylon Brice testified through teleconferencing that she hosted a house party at her Shady Avenue home that went into the early hours of Sept. 2, but things changed when Valle, Trevian Thompson and a juvenile male showed up.
“Everyone was welcome, but not those three,” Brice said.
She believed Valle was armed, so she asked him and the two others to leave. According to court documents, a disagreement had broken out around that time between those three and Lance Brooks, who was also armed.
Brice said the four left and she then heard gunfire outside of her house. She did not know who fired first, but court documents previously indicated that Brooks fired in self-defense. Brooks later went to Donora police after the shooting and eventually identified Valle as one of the shooters from a photo lineup, according to court documents.
While Brice did not witness the shootout, she testified that Valle later told her that he fired his weapon. Thompson is not believed to have fired a gun, and he has not been charged in connection with the case.
The name of the youth who was with Valley and Thompson was redacted in court documents, although he was charged through the juvenile court system for his role in the shootout. Brooks, who apparently testified in the juvenile male’s proceeding that has since been adjudicated, did not attend Tuesday’s preliminary hearing to give details about the shootout.
Officer William Goodwin, who previously worked for Charleroi Regional police and was an investigator on the case, testified that police found 28 shell casings in the street. He testified that Brice’s house was struck by gunfire, along with a neighboring house, although no one was injured.
Valle is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, firearm not to be carried without a license, reckless endangerment and persons not to carry a firearm, and he is free on $10,000 cash bond after being arraigned earlier this month. His whereabouts were not known Tuesday, but his attendance at the preliminary hearing was not required. He is also facing charges of burglary and simple assault after police accused him of kicking down Brice’s door on Dec. 21 and assaulting her.
After hearing testimony for about a half-hour, Porter ordered Valle to stand trial on all charges.