Eric Kortz, Accused Of Killing Postal Worker Louis Vignone, Facing 2-Count Indictment From Federal Grand Jury
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Eric Kortz, suspected of shooting and killing postal worker Louis Vignone, could be facing the death penalty.
An indictment has been filed after input from a federal grand jury.
In the indictment, Kortz faces two counts: murder of an employee of the united states and use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and possessing a firearm in furtherance thereof.
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These counts could mean that if convicted, Kortz could be facing the death penalty or life imprisonment on both counts.
KDKA's Meghan Schiller talked to Vignone's sister about the grand jury's decision and how she wants everyone to remember her older brother.
"Kind, charismatic, fun, very funny," Maria Vignone Slutiak said.
Vignone leaves behind a close-knit Italian family. His loved ones are still reeling from what a grand jury now calls premeditated murder.
"This was obviously a senseless act of violence, and it should have never happened," Vignone Slutiak said.
Vignone Slutiak said she hopes Kortz never sees the light of day again. She still wears her pin, saying her brother proudly delivered mail for 33 years and provided for his family, loved NASCAR and hoped to get through one final winter on the job before retirement.
"He always liked to have fun and make people laugh and be happy and see people happy. He wasn't a man that took on confrontation. I never heard him raise his voice," Vignone Slutiak said.
KDKA's Meghan Schiller reports that Kortz is not hiring an attorney and will be represented by a public defender.
His arraignment will be on Nov. 10.