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Charges withdrawn in Brighton Heights homicide
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A Michigan man no longer faces charges of homicide and robbery in connection with a botched drug deal that left one man dead in Brighton Heights this winter.
The Allegheny County district attorney's office withdrew the charges at a preliminary hearing this morning for Telano White, 30. Police arrested Mr. White after a witness told them Mr. White shot Sean Blackwell, 35, of Manchester, inside a home on Termon Avenue during a drug deal on Feb. 10.
Mike Manko, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, said in an email that prosecutors chose to withdraw the charges because, "We believe further investigation is needed before we move forward with charges." He declined to comment further.
James Wymard, the attorney representing Mr. White, said some questions arose about the witness' credibilty but he declined to comment further. He said he was pleased with the outcome of today's hearing and called the decision to withdraw the charges a "credit" to the district attorney's office.
Mr. White remains in the Allegheny County Jail tonight while he awaits extradition back to Michigan, where he was arrested, Mr. Wymard said. He said he expects the extradition to take place within two weeks.
First Published June 29, 2012 8:31 pm
