Prosecutors to seek death penalty against man in Regal theater shooting
By Dylan Segelbaum
York Daily Record
The York County District Attorney’s Office intends to seek the death penalty against a man who’s charged in a deadly shooting that happened at the Regal Cinemas in West Manchester Township.
In court documents, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Chuck Murphy wrote that Anu-Malik Johnson, 21, of York, knowingly created a grave risk of death to another person when he committed the crime. He was formally arraigned on Friday on charges of first- and third-degree murder, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and related offenses, according to court records.
Johnson is accused of shooting and killing Andre White Jr., 22, of Carlisle, on Dec. 2, 2019. A woman inside the movie theater was also shot twice, West Manchester Township police said.
Jalen Bellaflores, 19, of Conewago Township, is charged with hindering apprehension, obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence. He testified against Johnson at his preliminary hearing.
Meanwhile, Kieara Martinez, 18, of Lancaster, is charged with hindering apprehension, obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence. She had been on a date with White, police said, and took his cellphone after the shooting.
In an email, Jon White, Johnson’s attorney, said he and his client had believed that prosecutors might seek the death penalty and that they were disappointed with the decision.
"We do not believe seeking the death penalty serves the interest of justice and we intend on challenging the Commonwealth’s ability to seek it," he said.
In Pennsylvania, no one has been put to death since 1999. Gov. Tom Wolf has placed a moratorium on executions, but that does not prevent prosecutors from pursuing capital punishment.
https://ydr.com/story/news/crime/202...ng/2892526001/
Bookmarks