NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A 16-year-old is ordered to stand trial on murder charges, accused of shooting a man who he believed had raped his 14-year-old friend.
In a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, a witness to the shooting testified that Thomas Niarhos shot and killing 39-year-old Jeramiah Hawkins.
Niarhos' father is the executive director of Pottstown Beacon of Hope, which provides emergency shelter and housing stabilization services for Pottstown's homeless population, which at times included Hawkins.
Members of Hawkins' family say he was working through mental health issues and had previously experienced homelessness. He had an apartment in Germantown but would often stay with friends who were homeless in Pottstown.
The witness on Tuesday said, around noon on Nov. 22, on Hanover Street by the Pottstown train station, he saw the defendant pull a gun from his waistband and shoot Hawkins in the face. Niarhos was 15 years old at the time.
"The evidence in this case will show that the defendant made a very intentional decision to take another person's life," said prosecutor Lauren Marvel. "And that life had value. And that's what this case is about."
The witness said he heard Niarhos yelling at Hawkins, accusing him of raping his 14-year-old friend, before Niarhos shot him.
After Niarhos shot Hawkins, the witness said, he slammed the gun to the ground, clearly upset and distraught. While prosecutors say other witnesses detained Niarhos until police arrived, the witness said Niarhos wasn't aggressive or trying to get away. He said it appeared as though those people were trying to console Niarhos.
Hawkins' sister, Samantha Burgess, says police investigated the sex assault allegations but didn't file charges.
"I think he died over a lie," she said of her brother Jeramiah. "I think that she told the kid that, and you know … he believed that. He believed that and went after my brother."
Marvel says the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office takes sexual assault allegations seriously, but the trial is not about sexual assault.
"At the end of the day, it is not about what the victim did or did not do. It was about the decisions that the defendant made that day," said.
Christine Lora, Montgomery County's chief public defender, says it's a devastating situation. "He's 15 years old, so his family is devastated. The community is devastated and we are devastated to be in this position, even talking to you."
Niarhos is charged as an adult facing charges of first- and third-degree murder and related offenses.
