Delmont man accused of shooting at neighbor’s home to be reevaluated for trial
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A Delmont man will be reevaluated to determine whether he is now able to help with his defense after years of delays in a 2019 attempted homicide case.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Timothy Krieger said Tuesday he will order a competency reevaluation for Terrance Kurhansky, 82. Rebecca Trout, program director at social service organization Merakey, told Krieger she believes Kurhansky is ready for another evaluation after he was found incompetent to stand trial in March.
“I do personally believe he has a good chance” of having that ruling reversed, Trout said.
Kurhansky was arrested in September 2019. He is accused by police of using a handmade rifle to shoot at his neighbor’s home. Kurhansky believed his neighbor was attempting to attack him with high-frequency radio waves, police said.
Several residents reported hearing a gunshot coming from Kurhansky’s home, and the neighbor told police he was standing next to his car when he heard the shot, but he didn’t notice the bullet hole in his driver’s side door frame until later, according to court papers.
The case has been delayed while Krieger and attorneys sort through Kurhansky’s mental health condition. He has been held in jail on $200,000 bail since his arrest. Defense attorney Jim Crosby said he would submit a request for the reevaluation.
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Trout said Kurhansky has shown improvement while participating in competency restoration sessions through Merakey.
“He does understand the importance of working with his attorney,” she said.
Kurhansky told Krieger he understood what was happening at the hearing. During a hearing in June, Krieger wrestled with how best to help the elderly defendant get mental health treatment without keeping him in jail.
After Kurhansky’s arrest, prosecutors offered a potential plea bargain that would call for him to serve a sentence of five to 10 years on the attempted homicide charge, according to Assistant District Attorney Katie Ranker. Those discussions, or a move to go to trial, hinge on the results of the reevaluation.