Arnold woman to stand trial on charges of helping accused cop killer
An Arnold woman was ordered Thursday to stand trial for allegedly helping Rahmael Sal Holt elude a manhunt after the fatal shooting of New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw.
Lisa Danea Harrington, 31, of Woodmont Avenue is facing three felony counts of hindering apprehension. She pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains free pending trial after posting $75,000 bond before her preliminary hearing Thursday.
Authorities say Harrington is Holt's cousin.
Holt, 29, is accused of fatally shooting Shaw at about 8 p.m. Nov. 17 in the 1200 block of Leishman Avenue in New Kensington.
Police say Harrington helped Holt to flee on the night of the murder, lied to investigators about having seen him and took items Holt left at a residence he fled to just minutes after shooting Shaw.
Vanessa Portis, 26, of Harrison, who was Holt's girlfriend, testified Thursday that Holt called her on the night of the shooting from Harrington's cellphone. She said she received two calls from Holt at about 8:40 p.m., which would have been 40 minutes after the shooting.
Prosecutors contend that Holt dropped a cellphone several hundred yards from the shooting scene. They say the phone was registered to Portis.
Portis testified that when she arrived at her home that night, she almost immediately saw Harrington drive up to her residence in a van with Holt inside.
Portis said she then drove Holt to his mother's house in the Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh, where they stayed for about 90 minutes. Portis said she then drove Holt to a house in “Plum or Penn Hills.”
Holt was arrested four days after the shooting at his mother's house.
Portis has not been charged.
Defense attorney Lee Markovitz argued that Harrington didn't know that Holt was a wanted man when she helped him.
Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazur argued that Harrington must have known that because she lied to police about knowing where Holt was when she actually drove him to Harrison.
The next day, police say, Harrington urged several people at a house along the 1200 block of Victoria Avenue in Arnold to “get their stories straight” about the night of the shooting.
Police say she also took several items from that house. Investigators say Holt left items there just minutes after the murder. They would not say what those items were.
As of Thursday, police were still looking for the .40-caliber pistol used to kill Shaw.
Chuck Biedka is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4711, cbiedka@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ChuckBiedka.
