Prosecutors: Arnold man’s murder a robbery gone bad
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Westmoreland County prosecutors said DNA evidence will prove a New Kensington man attempted to rob and kill an Arnold man in a vacant parking lot more than four years ago.
“Anthone Williams was set up by the defendant to be robbed of drugs and money. At an abandoned projects, there was a robbery that went bad,” Assistant District Attorney Anthony Iannamorrelli said in his opening statement to jurors. “It’s only one step more when an armed robbery goes bad — and that is first-degree murder.”
Prosecutors contend Latresse Tareke Williams, 34, shot and killed his victim Jan. 15, 2020. Anthone Williams, 31, no relation to his accused killer, was shot three times as he sat in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle, according to authorities.
Police contend Latresse Williams planned to steal cocaine and cash from his victim.
Iannamorelli told jurors that Latresse Williams was linked to the killing after investigators found his DNA on a cellphone left in the shooting victim’s vehicle and on the inside barrel of a gun found discarded in nearby woods.
New Kensington police patrolman Dion Wagner testified a child witness claimed he saw two unidentified hooded men flee from the shooting scene.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Jennifer Hammers said Anthone Williams was shot three times, including one wound to the chest that resulted in his death within seconds. Hammers told jurors the shots were likely fired from the passenger’s side of vehicle.
David Fleck, 33, of New Kensington, a childhood friend of both Latresse Williams and Anthone Williams, testified that weeks before the fatal shooting he was asked to help set up a robbery. Fleck said he routinely bought cocaine from Anthone Williams. Fleck said he was asked by Latresse Williams to allow him to rob his drug dealer at Fleck’s home — a request he said he rejected.
Defense attorney Tim Dawson, in his opening statement to jurors, said the evidence will not prove Latresse Williams was the shooter. He suggested another man, who was not charged, fired the fatal shots.
“The real question is: What happened in that car, and no one really knows,” Dawson said.
Latresse Williams has been in jail without bond since his arrest in February 2020 in connection with attempted murder charges filed in an unrelated case stemming from a December 2019 shooting in New Kensington.
According to court records, he was charged with four counts of attempted homicide and related offenses for allegedly firing multiple shots into a parked car in front of the Valley Royal Court Apartments.
Three women were inside the vehicle and another person was outside when it was fired upon, police said. No one was injured in the shooting. The attempted homicide case against Williams is pending and not part of the ongoing homicide trial, which is expected to take about a week to complete, prosecutors said.