PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The trial against a Bucks County man accused of murdering a Temple University police officer more than two years ago got underway Monday. Miles Pfeffer faces first-degree murder charges in the death of Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald, a beloved father, husband and son.
On Feb. 18, 2023, 31-year-old Fitzgerald was on patrol near 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue when he noticed three males dressed in black looking suspicious. Since there had been a recent rash of robberies and carjackings, he called in to the station and then chased after the crew.
Two of them hid, but prosecutors said then-18-year-old Pfeffer got into a tussle with Fitzgerald, eventually standing over the police officer and shooting him at close range. The incident was caught on video.
In the aftermath, a police body-worn camera video shows Fitzgerald sprawled out on the street with blood pooling around him. He was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Officials said Pfeffer ran, carjacked another man, and drove to his father’s house. He then had his mother drive down from Bucks County to pick him up.
He was arrested 12 hours later in Buckingham Township. Pfeffer has been in prison ever since. On Monday, the defense said Pfeffer killed Fitzgerald out of fear.
Prosecutors say the videos clearly show Pfeffer shooting Fitzgerald, and the two people who were with him: His brother and a friend, said Pfeffer’s DNA is on a puffy black jacket he was seen wearing that night. They also found a gun inside his dad’s house that matched the bullets that killed Fitzgerald.
Defense said the killing was premeditated, and therefore, not first-degree murder.
Against the Fitzgerald family’s wishes, District Attorney Larry Krasner decided not to pursue the death penalty. The family wanted a death penalty case in the hopes that they could work out a deal to have Pfeffer plead guilty to first-degree murder and spend the rest of his life in prison. Instead, they are going to trial.
Pfeffer is charged with first-degree murder and murder of a law enforcement officer, among other related offenses.