JACKSON/MOLINA PRELIMINARY HEARINGS

Trent Larelle Jackson, 19, of Coatesville, and Efrain Molina, 28, of West Chester, had their preliminary hearings yesterday afternoon in Courtroom #7 at the Courthouse relating the the murder of a drug dealer in the East End earlier this month...

The case against Molina was presented first, as First Assistant DA Patrick Carmody called Det. Cpl. Scott Whiteside to the stand. Cpl. Whiteside testified that he arrived on the scene of the shooting at 317 South Adams Street at 01:12 on July 9. Upon arrival, Cpl. Whiteside testified that he saw blood on one of the beds, the floor off to the left of the bed, and on the wall of the stairwell leading to the 3rd floor bedroom where Christian Oliveras was found shot twice.

The next day, Cpl. Whiteside and Chester County Det. Edward Nolan went to Atlantic City, N.J., where Molina was arrested earlier that morning. During a two-hour audiotaped statement given while in custody, Molina allegedly said that he had purchased $50.00 worth of cocaine from Oliveras prior to the shooting. Molina allegedly then walked over to the 400 block of East Union Street where he got into a car with four other individuals and described to the four individuals how many people were in the house and if there were any weapons or other drugs in the house.

At that point, the individuals in the car allegedly made plans to rob Oliveras; two of the subjects then went to the house to commit the robbery. When they returned, one of the actors allegedly stated that "(Oliveras) wouldn't give it up, he fought" and that the two subjects "had to shoot him."

Molina was held for trial on Murder of the 1st Degree, Murder of the 2nd Degree, Murder of the 3rd Degree, Robbery, and seven Conspiracy charges (Criminal Homicide, 1st Degree Murder, 2nd Degree Murder, 2 counts Aggravated Assault, Robbery, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person); one count of Conspire to Recklessly Endanger Another Person was dismissed by consent of both the Commonwealth and defense counsel (15-1-04, CR-0000222-07).

In the case against Jackson, a neighbor of the deceased testified that she allegedly saw Jackson near Oliveras' residence on at least twice prior to the shooting. A couple hours before the incident, the witness stated that she saw Jackson and a second black male at the residence; Jackson had allegedly bumped into the witness and her child while they were out for a walk that night. She also noted that she noticed no other subject on the block in the preceeding two hours leading to the shooting. The day before the shooting, the witness allegedly saw Jackson by the side of her house.

In his arguement after the testimony, Jackson's attorney, David Clark, argued that the Commonwealth had presented no evidence, not even circumstantial evidence about what had happened inside Oliveras' apartment at the time of the shooting. "We are not more enlightened about the events inside of 317 South Adams Street" than prior to the hearing, Clark said. He had also argued that the Commonwealth had no evidence that Jackson was even in the car at the time of the murder.

Carmody argued that the Commonwealth's witness had placed Jackson at the scene of the murder and recapped the witness' testimony in asking that all charges be held against Jackson. Ultimately, Jackson was held on Criminal Homicide, First Degree Murder, Second Degree Murder, Third Degree Murder, two counts of Aggravated Assault, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Possession of an Instruement of Crime, and seven Conspiracy charges; as was the case with Molina, a second count of Recklessly Endangering Another Person and a related conspiracy count were dismissed (15-1-04, CR-0000221-07).

The testimony present in court confirms (to an extent) some unofficial chit-chat about Oliveras' alleged drug dealing while out on bail awaiting sentencing on Possession With Intent to Deliver charges filed by both West Chester Police and PSP/Embreeville for sales that allegedly took place last year. How someone accused of those serious type of charges would even be allowed to remain free on bail - or even granted enough bail to be able to continue to sell drugs certainly calls into question the logic of that decision in the first place. Needless to say, that point is moot as Oliveras is now deceased and unable to answer to his crimes...

In any case, next week should prove to be pretty active at Common Pleas Court, as Judges MacElree II, Mahon, Nagle and Sarcione have criminal trial lists scheduled next week (the criminal terms for Judge MacElree and Judge Sarcione are one week; Judge Mahon and Nagle have two-week terms) while Judge Riley has an extensive Misc. Case list next week, including the sentencing of Thomas Barrett, whose trial and conviction on DUI, drug possesssion and unlicensed weapon charges was covered extensively on this blog last month. Barrett is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, at the same time as 15-1-01's Criminal Day proceedings. I know that means a lot of juggling of time on Tuesday, but somehow I think I'll be able to pull off covering a lot of the big stuff at both District Court and Common Pleas Court...

As for right now, my hands need a break...

ARRESTS MADE IN HOMICIDE...

WCPD and West Goshen officers arrested four subjects at a residence on the 600 block of Goshen Road on the West Chester/West Goshen township line. At least one of the suspects was arraigned last night by Judge Bruno for the murder of Christian Oliveras, 21, at his home on the 300 block of South Adams Street shortly after midnight yesterday. Oliveras was scheduled for trial next week in Common Pleas Court (which was documented in yesterday's postings).

At around 19:30, Det. Sgt. Louis DeShullo requested an officer assist at the location for what was initially reported to be a shots fired call. Units responded to the scene and placed the four under arrest, with two of the subjects being taken to West Goshen Police headquarters and the other two taken to WCPD. After interviews with the persons in custody, one of the two actors police were searching for was charged with Oliveras' murder.

Trent Larelle Jackson, 19, of Coatesville, was arraigned last night on charges of Criminal Homicide, First Degree Murder, Second Degree Murder, two counts of Aggravated Assault, two counts of Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Possession of an Instrument of Crime, and eight conspiracy charges. He was committed to Chester County Prison without bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday in front of Judge Knapp, though it will likely be continued (15-1-04, CR-0000221-07).

The second actor was reportedly arrested early this morning in Atlantic City, New Jersey under rather unusual circumstances. Efrain Molina, 28, of West Chester, was reportedly involved in a two-car accident in Atlantic City at around 05:30 this morning. The other operator of the vehicle was reported to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident and reportedly placed under arrest.

A records check by the Atlantic City Police Department revealed the homicide warrant for Molina. At present, Molina is in custody in New Jersey and will likely face an extradition hearing in the near future, though a date has not been set as of yet (15-1-04, CR-0000222-07).

It appears that both suspects have had prior criminal arrests in the past few years, with Molina having a very extensive criminal record dating back nearly 10 years in West Chester and Philadelphia:

• On December 14, 1996 at around 20:25, P/O Christopher Craig arrested Molina during a ped stop on the 300 block of Patton Alley; Molina was found to be in possession of an "8-inch double-edged throw knife", according to the criminal complaint filed with former District Judge Dawson R. Muth and was charged with Possession of an Offensive Weapon (CP-15-CR-0000254-1997). In a further indication of how far back this particular case goes, the two constables who handled Molina's transport to Chester County Prison were Greg Cugino - now a WCPD officer - and current District Judge Mark Bruno. For some odd reason, it slipped my mind that Judge Bruno was a constable before becoming a District Judge...
• Three days later, at around 17:39, P/O Craig again arrested Molina, this time on the 300 block of West Chestnut Street, and was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphanalia (CP-15-CR-0000255-1997). On March 18, 1997, Molina was sentenced to 2 years probation in the 1996 cases by Judge Jacqueline Carroll Cody.
• On September 20, 1997 at around 12:41, former P/O Sean Stephen (now with the DEA) spotted Molina on the 100 block of Courthouse Alley and was arrested on a bench warrant. In a search incident to arrest, Molina was found to have been in possession of 13 packets of what would later test positive for cocaine, 8 pills of what was later identified as Zanax, and $43.65 in cash. On January 21, 1998, he pled guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance With Intent to Deliver and was sentenced to 4-to-23 months at Chester County Prison with credit for time served by Judge Katherine Platt (CP-15-CR-0003757-1997).
• On October 9, 2000, Molina was arrested in Philadelphia and charged with Possession With Intent to Deliver and Possession of a Controlled Substance. In a jury trial, Molina was found not guilty of the PWID charge, but convicted of the PCS charge. He was sentenced to 6-to-23 months in the Philadelphia House of Correction (CP-51-CR-0103721-2001).
• On November 26, 2000 at around 21:32, while awaiting trial on the Philadelphia charges, P/O Dave Stuart and P/O Stephen observed three subjects in the hallway of an apartment building at 340 West Washington Street, where Molina resides. Upon arrival, the officers reported a strong odor of what appeared to be marijuana. Molina dropped a cigarette pack wrapper on the floor which contained marijuana and was also found to have 1 small bag containing cocaine. On May 21, 2001, he pled guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance and was sentenced to 1 year probation by Judge Lawrence Wood (CP-15-CR-0000484-2001).
• On July 19, 2001 at around 23:55, Sgt. Daniel Dixon (ret.) arrested Molina at the 340 West Washington apartment complex after observing Molina placing a plastic bag in a white pot amongst the flowers adjacent to the complex's entrance. A bag containing marijuana was recovered and Molina stopped at the Lukoil at Hannum Avenue and Wayne Street. Also recovered was a cell phone, walkie-talkie, and a large roll of an undermined amount of cash. On March 12, 2002, Molina was sentenced to 2-to-23 months at CCP after pleading guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance in front of Judge Juan Sanchez (CP-15-CR-0005411-2001).
• On June 25, 2002 at around 23:23, Det. Andrew McFarlane observed Molina in possession of an open container of alcohol. A subsequent search resulted in discovery of marijuana laced with PCP in his possession. On December 12, 2002, Molina pled guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance and was sentenced to 3-to-23 months in CCP, with credit for time served by Judge Paula Francisco Ott (CP-15-CR-0003534-2002).
• On October 13, 2003 at 00:59, Molina was driving westbound on the 800 block of West Chester Pike where a West Goshen police officer clocked him at 55.77 mph in a 35 mph zone. Molina failed to pull over when the officer turned on his overhead lights and sirens. After chasing Molina along Gay Street to the 340 West Washington complex, Molina was arrested, taken to West Goshen Police headquarters, and performed field sobriety tests. Subsequent blood testing showed his BAC at .03, however it was also determined that he was under the influence of controlled substances, including marijuana. It was also determined that his license was suspended. On May 25, 2004, Molina was sentenced to 2-to-12 months in CCP by Judge Thomas Gavin after pleading guilty to DUI (CP-15-CR-0000680-2004).
• On Decmeber 2, 2003, Molina was arrested in Philadelphia by 25th District officers and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance; on January 26, 2006, he was sentenced to 2 years probation (MC-51-CR-1202671-2003).

Meanwhile, Jackson hasn't exactly been a model citizen himself...

He has a case pending on Judge Riley's next trial list starting Monday on charges of Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphanalia relating to an incident on January 4 processed by P/O Jeffrey Gallo of WCPD (15-1-01, CR-0000009-07; CP-15-CR-0002064-2007). Jackson waived his right to a preliminary hearing on May 15 and the case was bound to the Court of Common Pleas. I would suspect that this particular case might be put on hold...

A recap of today's rather uneventful Criminal Day at 15-1-01 as well as a recap of the past two days at Common Pleas Court will be posted later today or tonight (time permitting).

HOMICIDE ON SOUTH ADAMS

At 00:10, Chester County 9-1-1 recieved a report of a shooting at 317 South Adams Street, with WCPD, GFAC, and Medic 91 responding to the scene. Sgt. Jeffery Ditz requested the medics to expedite as the patient was unconsious upon his arrival. EMS arrived on the scene and requested PennSTAR #2 to fly the victim, with Engine 52-1 establishing the landing zone at the Goodwill Fire Company parking lot. Once the ambulance arrived on scene, however, the flight crew from PennSTAR reported the patient was going into cardiac arrest and was immediately transported by GFAC to Chester County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Back on South Adams, reports indicated that officers were searching for 2 males, possibly hispanic, with one wearing a black shirt and one possibly wearing a red bandana. A K-9 from Tredyffrin arrived on scene and searched the area around the National Foam Company and an industrial property to the north of the scene with negative results. Multiple police units also assisted in the search, which was still active as of 01:30 this morning.

Assisting WCPD in the investigation were West Goshen Police, Westtown-East Goshen Police, West Chester University Public Safety, Tredyffrin Police K-9, Chester County Detectives, GFAC, Medic 91, and WCFD/Goodwill Fire Co.

Though it's not officially been confirmed by investigators at this point, it would not be surprising at all if drugs were at the heart of the dispute. A couple of months ago, a man was held for trial on charges of drug possession with intent to distribute where one of the alleged sales to an undercover officer or informant took place on that block. On May 4 in District Court 15-1-04, Christian Oliveras, 21, was held for charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance With Intent to Deliver, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphanalia, and Criminal Use of a Communication Facility after an undercover State Trooper testified that an confidential informant had twice gone to the Adams Street location to purchase narcotics from the defendant. (15-1-04, CR-0000127-07; CP-15-CR-0001899-2007).

Oliveras had been free on 10 percent of $50,000 bail as of last night; he was scheduled for trial in front of Judge Strietel next week on an separate case where he faced two counts of Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance, two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance, and one count of Possession of Drug Paraphanalia in a case filed by WCPD narcotics officers (CP-15-CR-0002946-2006). There had been a motion to consolidate the two cases into a single case, though there's no indication as to whether or not the cases in fact will be heard together.

[The Daily Local News confirmed what I had suspected that Oliveras was in fact the murder victim. Police officials and prosecutors confirmed in today's editions that drugs played a role in the murder, as if that was a shock.]

District Attorney Joe Carroll and his chief deputy DA Patrick Carmody were on scene, along with Lt. Jeff Johnson and at least two county detectives. I wouldn't be shocked if more details end up coming out as the days progress, but there must be something more to it when the top two prosecutors in the county and two of that office's detectives show up on scene...

This wrapped up an unusually violent weekend in the borough, one that hasn't struck in the nearly 12 years that I've lived here. Here's hoping this isn't a sign of things to come...