Man Headed To Trial In Case Of July 4 Fatal Shooting
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A man accused of fatally shooting another man during a Fourth of July barbecue will go to trial.
Zachary Threats, 36, is accused of fatally shooting 30-year-old Kaamil Arnold in Homewood on the holiday.
Threats was removed from the courtroom during his hearing Friday, after he argued with the judge, adamant that he wanted to be identified by way of a lineup.
But today at court he was adamant that he wanted to be identified by way of a lineup.
He apparently wanted to challenge the tearful testimony of the witness who testified Friday that he shot Arnold at a home on Tioga Street. That witness picked Threats out of a police photo array.
But as his attorney, public defender Patrick Sweeney, and District Judge Leonard Hromyak reviewed his rights under the law, Threats became verbally combative and the judge threw him out of the courtroom.
Eventually, Threats fired his lawyer and declined to represent himself.
There was more verbal combat and Threats was thrown out again.
The hearing went on without them, but defense attorney Frank Walker, who is not affiliated with this case, says it's possible the hearing may be held again.
"Well, a lot of times in situations like this, you have an attorney who will get appointed to the case," said Walker. "Obviously, there's a conflict. A conflict between the public defender's office and the client, so the president judge or the Office of Conflict Counsel or the administrative judge will appoint an attorney to represent that individual and that attorney probably will petition to remand for another preliminary hearing."
For now, Threats will stand trial in this case but police say he is a suspect in other homicides as well.
Threats was arrested at a home in Garfield last month.
"I'm innocent, God bless, keep it on the streets, I ain't done nothing, I'm an innocent man," said Threats on his way to jail.
Police said at the time that they were also looking at Threats as a person of interest in the murder of a man found dead in the woods in Northview Heights.
They believe Threats may be connected to the murder as well as several other crimes.
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