DA finishes first week in Allen Wade death penalty trial
Pittsburgh - Highlights of week one include surveillance video of a man who prosecutors say is Allen Wade withdrawing $600 from Sarah's Wolfe's bank account from an ATM, and also using Susan Wolfe's debit card to buy cigarettes hours after the two were shot to death.
Pittsburgh homicide detective Wade Sarver testified he spent over 40 hours reviewing and compiling surveillance videos from businesses near the East Liberty branch of the Carnegie Library, where police found Sarah Wolfe's green Ford Fiesta on February 8, 2014, the day after their bodies were discovered by Sarah's boyfriend.
Wade is charged with the Feb. 6, 2014 beating and shooting-death of Sarah and Susan Wolfe. In a March 5, 2014 statement Wade said, "I 100 percent innocent," and added that allegations by police that his DNA was found on a pair of gray sweatpants "is a bunch of bull."
Most of the footage shows a figure dressed in a red jacket with a blue long-sleeve shirt underneath, gray sweatpants and white tennis shoes that have a distinctive flap, walking in the area of the Carnegie Library and the Citizens Bank ATM where the withdrawal attempts were made.
The Citizen Bank's ATM camera shows a male figure with his face obscured, making repeated withdrawal attempts between 12:44 and 12:53 a.m. on Feb. 7, 2014. A glove covered the man's right hand, but he could be seen putting a receipt into his left hand.
Justin Hanna an investigator with Citizens Bank told the jury that after several attempts a $600 withdrawal was completed at 12:46 a.m. from Sarah Wolfe's bank account, and several unsuccessful attempts at withdrawing $300 from Susan Wolfe's bank account were made during the same time period at the ATM.
Video from cameras at a nearby apartment complex and a Target department store show the same figure walking near the library, a Midas Muffler and in front of the ATM.
A video from an East Liberty Sunoco gas station shows a man wearing a pair of white tennis shoes with what appears to be the same flap, walk into the store shortly after 1:00 a.m. and purchase two packs of Newport cigarettes. Prosecutors allege that Wade made the purchase with Susan Wolfe's PNC Bank debit card.
Pittsburgh police officer Gregory McGee told the jury Wednesday how he decided to search the area near where Sarah Wolfe’s car was found. “I felt it was a strange area to leave a car and that someone may have fled on foot leaving evidence,” he said.
Walking down South Whitfield Street near the library, Officer McGee noticed a black knit cap lying on top of some mulch off the sidewalk and about 60 feet down the street he saw a pair of gray sweatpants. Prosecutors allege that Wade was wearing a red jacket, gray sweatpants and white tennis shoes when he killed Sarah and Susan Wolfe.
Officer McGee told the jury that as he picked up the sweatpants a white business card fell out of a pocket that belonged to Cameron Mager, a social worker who prosecutors allege had been treating Susan.
Mr. Mager told jurors Thursday the business card was his and testified that he is “100 percent certain” Wade was never his client. He also told the jury that his office phone number and email, which are listed on his business cards, are not publicly available.
Police also recovered a pair of socks from a trash can near the sweatpants, that prosecutors say has both Wade and Sarah Wolfe's DNA on them. Wade's DNA was also found on the sweatpants prosecutors say.
Pittsburgh homicide detective George Satler told jurors that Sarah Wolfe’s boyfriend was “extremely cooperative” when he was questioned shortly after he found the bodies of Sarah and Susan Wolfe in the basement of their Pittsburgh home on February 7, 2014.
Public Defender Lisa Middleman alleged Monday in her opening argument to the jury, that investigators failed to fully investigate Matthew Buchholz’s alibi as to where he was the evening of Feb. 6, the night Assistant District Attorney William Petulla said Allen Wade “savagely” beat Susan Wolfe and shot her and her sister Sarah Wolfe in the head.
Mr. Buchholz who had been dating Sarah for eight months according to court testimony, provided very detailed information as to where he was at and who he was with that evening detective Satler testified. “He seemed he was mourning the loss of his girlfriend. “
“Could he have been acting; could he have been lying—yes,” Satler responded on questioning by Ms. Middleman. However, detective Satler maintained based upon his experience and having conducted hundreds of interviews in homicide cases, he believed Mr. Buchholz was being truthful.
Detective Satler admitted that he had not searched Mr. Buchholz’s car or asked him to provide any receipts from the bar and restaurant Mr. Buchholz said he was at during the time prosecutors say the sisters were killed.
When he was first interviewed by police during a canvass of the neighborhood Allen Wade was chain smoking Newport cigarettes Pittsburgh police officer Thomas Leheny testified Friday morning.
Leheny also testified that he saw a pair of white tennis shoes in Wade's home when he spoke to him, however, he was not able to confirm they are the same tennis shoes that are shown in the videos.
On Friday jurors also heard testimony from Jean-Paul Martin, chief technology officer and co-founder of Alarm.com,, who said records indicate that the front door to the Wolfes' house showed it opened and closed five times between 7:26 p.m. and 9:54 p.m. Feb. 6, 2014.
The last witness to testify Friday was Doreen Oshlag, Director of Early Childhood Development at the Hilel Academy where Susan Wolfe worked as a teacher's aide. Ms. Oshlag told the jury "If she would have been five minutes late she would have texted me. She was always on time."
Ms. Oshlag called the police late in the morning on Feb. 6. 2014 because Susan had not called or shown up for work that day.
The trial is expected to last at least two more weeks and Wade faces the death penalty if convicted.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/c...article/464893
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