Monroeville Mall Shooting Suspect Found Not Guilty Of Attempted Homicide
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - The court has returned a mixed verdict for the suspect accused in a shooting last year that left three people wounded at the Monroeville Mall.
Judge Jeffrey Manning found 18-year-old Tarod Thornhill not guilty on the lead charge of attempted homicide, and guilty on all other charges, including three counts of aggravated assault.
Initially, Thornhill told Allegheny County Police detectives that he didn't know anything about the shooting.
Thornhill: "I wasn't at Monroeville Mall."
Detective: "I know you were there, because I have the video and it shows you clear as day."
Investigators say the video shows Thornhill, who was 17 at the time of the shooting in February 2015, firing six shots inside the Macy's store.
Police say they believe Davon Jones was Thornhill's intended target, but a husband and wife who were in the store shopping with their son were hit as well.
Detective: "Do you have any remorse about accidentally shooting the two people that were walking past?"
Thornhill: "I didn't shoot them."
Detective: "Well, who did?"
Thornhill: "I don't know."
But at the start of the trial, Thornhill's attorney, Chris Urbano, told the court his client has great remorse and suffers from serious mental health problems.
Urbano hopes the verdict will allow his client to get the treatment he needs. He also said Thornhill's parents feel terrible for the victims.
"Nobody wanted to see this happen. And, I mean, they live with it every day and I know they have nothing but the deepest feelings of remorse and sorrow for the victim," said Urbano.
But Allegheny County prosecutors say Thornhill was recorded on a jail phone call being told by a woman to fake insanity. They also say Thornhill left the mall to retrieve a gun after an earlier encounter with his intended target.
The judge issued the verdict Monday afternoon after hearing closing arguments earlier in the day.
Last week, Thornhill opted for a bench trial and the jurors that had been selected to hear the case were dismissed.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)