Man Headed To Trial On Homicide Charges In Nightclub Shooting
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A man charged in the fatal shooting of a woman after she refused his advances at a local nightclub is going to trial. The victim is the sister of a state lawmaker.
A judge has held charges, including criminal homicide, against Charles McKinney in the death of 29-year-old Janese Jackson Talton. She was shot and killed on Jan. 22 outside of a Homewood bar.
During the preliminary hearing Wednesday, a security guard says Talton refused the advances of McKinney.
The security guard testified to hearing McKinney say, 'I'm going to merk her.'"
"Merk," he explained, is a street term for murdering someone.
"I'm saying to you that we are very confident that we can show that it was not an intentional homicide," said Wendy Williams, McKinney's attorney.
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Williams said there was never any testimony that McKinney shot Talton because no one saw him with a gun. It was recovered after McKinney led officers on a pursuit through parts of Homewood and Wilkinsburg and crashed his car.
He was pulled over by police who were responding to a ShotSpotter notification after the shooting in the bar.
Talton's father says he just wants justice for his daughter.
"We're hoping that justice will be served," said Jacob Talton, Janese's father. "She was fantastic, great mother, and she's going to be sorely missed."
