WATCH: Investigators Release Body Camera Video From Traffic Stop Involving Woman Accused Of Kidnapping And Killing Nalani Johnson
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Attorneys representing a woman accused of kidnapping and killing a 2-year-old girl argued that statements she made to police during a traffic stop should not be used against her in court.
Allegheny County Judge Bruce Beemer heard video evidence Monday of a traffic stop on Rodi Road between a Penn Hills police officer and accused killer Sharena Nancy on the day the search for Nalani Johnson began on Aug. 31, 2019.
The police officer questioned Nancy for several minutes, asking her about missing Johnson.
Officer: Where's the baby at?
Nancy: What baby? Which baby? Hey, officer, officer, officer, one second, one second, one second.
Officer: You better tell me right now where that baby is at.
Nancy: I drive for Uber.
Officer: Where's the baby at?
Nancy: Which baby? Officer, you're making a, it is a misunderstanding, I think.
Nancy continued to deny knowing anything later in the footage.
Nancy: It's a misunderstanding, you picked up the wrong person. It's not me.
Officer: We are worried about a little girl.
Nancy: What little girl? How old?
WATCH: KDKA's Jennifer Borrasso Reports
Police found Johnson dead in her car seat in a park in Indiana County on Sept. 2, 2019. Police say Nancy took off in the car Johnson was in after an argument about money. She was in the beginning stages of a romantic relationship with Johnson's father.
Nancy's attorneys argue that because the officer did not read her Miranda Rights before questioning her, those statements should not be admitted at trial. The encounter between Nancy and the officer went on for five minutes before the office said she had the right to remain silent.
The deputy district attorney said Nancy's statements fall under a public safety exception to Miranda Rights.
Judge Beemer's decision on this matter is pending. Nancy's trial is scheduled for October.
