Friends, Family Demand Justice For Man Allegedly Killed By Son-In-Law
WESTMORELAND COUNTY (KDKA) -- Friends and family held signs outside a magistrate's office in Westmoreland County Tuesday.
Police say he was lured there by his son-in-law.
The defendant says he was acting in self-defense and pleaded not guilty.
But a judge Tuesday decided that there was enough evidence to send him to trial for the murder of his father-in-law.
Earl Weygandt was a husband, brother, father and grandfather.
Tuesday, friends and family of the 67-year-old veteran gathered outside of the magistrate's office in Ligonier seeking justice.
"Earl would do anything for anyone. and it was that very trait that put him in harm's way that night," said Weygandt's sister Kim.
On Aug. 7, Weygandt was found dead in his car along Route 31 in Donegal. He was covered in blood with stab wounds to his neck and chest.
"He was a good man," said friend Chuck McDowell.
Charged with the murder is 40-year-old Michael "Tony" Martin, who is married to Weygandt's stepdaughter from his second marriage.
"You think that there's evil in the world, but you don't think evil amidst one's own extended family," said Kim Weygandt.
Martin didn't speak to reporters, but inside the courtroom appeared agitated and scribbled notes.
"He's not a monster that they're making him out to be," said a friend of Martin. "He needs somebody."
Police say Weygandt was lured to his death by a son-in-law who claimed to need help with his car.
The question unanswered is: why?
Martin remains in jail without bond.
His attorney declined to comment on the case.
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