Jury Sent Home In Trial Of Suspect Charged In Deadly Thanksgiving Day Crash
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Jurors were sent home Thursday after more deliberations in the trial of Demetrius Coleman, who is charged in a deadly crash that claimed the lives of a family in North Versailles.
Coleman is facing three counts of third-degree murder for causing the fiery crash on Thanksgiving Day in 2016.
Prosecutors say Coleman was fleeing from officers when he wrecked into a car along Route 30 in North Versailles.
A Pitcairn couple, 29-year-old David Lee Bianco and his 21-year-old fiancée Kaylie Meininger, and their 2-year-old daughter, Annika, were killed.
According to our partners at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the 24-year-old took the stand Wednesday in his own defense, saying he didn't remember the crash.
He said it was never his intention to kill three people.
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The PG reports that he told the court he had smoked strong marijuana that day and sold heroin, and when he was pulled over he thought it was just a traffic stop, but when additional law enforcement showed up, he thought there may have been a warrant out for his arrest. That's when he fled and crashed into the family's car.
Coleman's attorney is asking the jury to find his client guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Police say at the time of the crash, Coleman had a suspended license.
The jury didn't ask any questions about evidence Thursday, but didn't reach a decision.
The jury will return Friday at 9:30 a.m. to continue deliberations.