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Judge to decide in fatal bludgeoning

Thursday, June 06, 2002

By Ernie Hoffman, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

A Westmoreland County judge will hear arguments next month on whether the cases of two teen-age boys accused of murder should be moved from the adult court system to juvenile court.

Attorneys for Ian Bishop and Robert M. Laskowski, both of Hempfield, claim the transfer would be good for the public as well as the boys. District Attorney John W. Peck said yesterday that his office would oppose the request.

Ian Bishop, 14, and Laskowski, 15, are accused of the fatal bludgeoning of Ian's 18-year-old brother, Adam, on April 19.

Prosecutors say the boys also wanted to kill the Bishops' parents that day, but their plan fell apart when Ian Bishop panicked and called a friend for help.

Both were ordered to stand trial as adults on first-degree murder and related charges following a preliminary hearing before Hempfield District Justice James Falcon on Tuesday.

Now they are scheduled to appear before Common Pleas Judge Debra A. Pezze -- Ian Bishop on July 2 and Laskowski on July 11 -- who will decide whether they will be tried as adults or juveniles.

"I think because of the brutality of the circumstance and the serious nature of the charges, it would be more appropriate to try them in adult court," Peck said.

Ian Bishop beat his brother repeatedly with a claw hammer and a club, then placed him in a bathtub and turned on the water, state police said. An autopsy showed Adam Bishop suffered a minimum of 18 blows to the skull and died of severe head trauma.

Laskowski's attorney, Lee R. Demosky, claims his client's alleged role in the killing did not rise to a level high enough to warrant prosecution as an adult.

Prosecutors said Ian Bishop and Laskowski planned the killing three days before it occurred. Laskowski is accused of standing by with a club while Ian Bishop beat Adam Bishop over the head with a claw hammer.

There was no evidence presented at Tuesday's hearing that Laskowski ever struck the victim, but there was testimony that he helped place him face-down in a bathtub where Ian Bishop turned on the water.

Peck said Laskowski helped plan the killing and provided the moral support Ian Bishop needed to kill his brother.

In his request to transfer the case, Demosky said the nature and circumstances of the crime did not show that the safety of the public would require long-term incarceration or discipline for Laskowski. He said the juvenile system had adequate remedies to rehabilitate his client.

If convicted of first-degree murder as adults, the boys would face mandatory sentences of life without possibility of parole. In the juvenile system, they could be held under the court's control until they turned 21.

Thomas R. Ceraso, one of Ian Bishop's attorneys, cited various sections of state law that he said could provide a reason for the case to be transferred to juvenile court.

Peck and Assistant District Attorney Wayne Gongaware reiterated yesterday that the motive for the slaying appeared to be that Ian Bishop became angry with his family after his parents ordered him to stop dating a certain girl and his brother sided with the parents.

"It appears to be resentment over limitations that were placed upon [Ian Bishop ] by his parents," Peck said yesterday. "That seems to be the main reason," Gongaware said.

Peck and Gongaware said Ian Bishop was caught smoking at school and his parents believed the girl was a bad influence on their son.

Peck also said there was evidence that Ian Bishop disliked his brother because he believed Adam Bishop was a homosexual, but Peck said he was not sure what bearing that had on the case.

Ian Bishop and Laskowski were freshmen at Hempfield Area High School, where Adam Bishop was a senior. The suspects are being held without bail in the Westmoreland County Prison.