WASHINGTON, Pa. - A Monessen man was ordered to stand trial for the alleged murder of a Washington man outside a Canton Township bar May 3.
Nathaniel Jones, 36, of 212 Rostraver St., is charged with criminal homicide and violation of the Uniform Firearms Act.
Jones is accused in the death of Carl Cohen, 44, of Maple Terrace, who was shot multiple times early May 3 outside Terry's Lounge on West Wylie Avenue.
Jones faced a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Washington County Central Court before District Judge Joshua Kanalis.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Leon Rosen testified that Cohen died from three gunshot wounds to his back that damaged vital organs.
The victim also had abrasions on his right hand, possibly from striking another person.
The victim had a blood alcohol level of .266 - three times the legal limit - along with cocaine and hydrocodone in his system, Rosen testified.
Nicole Turney, the victim's girlfriend and the mother of his child, testified about the events that led to the fatal shooting.
Turney testified that Cohen and Jones had a verbal disagreement earlier in the evening in the bar, adding the two were talking calmly as they left the tavern.
Outside, Jones accused Cohen of "disrespecting" his girlfriend, Turney said. Cohen disputed the accusation and punched Jones, possibly because he saw a .38-caliber handgun in the suspect's waist band, she testified.
Turney broke down as she recalled Cohen falling to the ground and trying to get to his knees. She held him on her chest as he took two deeps breaths and died, she said.
State police Cpl. Beverly Ashton, a criminal investigator, testified that she interviewed Jones as he was awaiting surgery at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh to repair a bone in his wrist.
When Ashton advised Jones he was being charged with homicide, the Monessen man said, "You mean that dude died?"
Ashton testified that Jones told her he and Cohen had a verbal dispute in the bar earlier in the evening, but that they had patched up the argument over drinks.
He said the situation escalated as they were leaving the bar. Ashton said Jones told her Cohen swung at him twice. The suspect told her he pulled out his gun because he thought he saw a weapon on the victim.
Although left-handed, Jones pulled out the gun with his right hand, accidentally shooting himself in the left wrist while firing five shots.
Jones told Ashton he registered at the hospital under his brother's name - Robert - because he faced active domestic relations warrants.
She testified that Jones told her he dropped the gun in the parking lot of the bar, even though troopers already told her it was found under the mattress of his girlfriend's bed.
State Trooper Dave Leonard testified that because Cohen had a prior felony conviction in February 1998, he was not permitted to carry a handgun.
Washington County Assistant District Attorney Mike Lucas said after the hearing, "This is another instance of a person unlawfully possessing a firearm and causing the death of another person."
