Man acquitted in Clairton alley slaying
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jurors in Western Pennsylvania acquitted a man in a shooting death near Pittsburgh four days after Christmas last year.
The Allegheny County panel deliberated for less than an hour Friday before acquitting 21-year-old John Sanders of Clairton in the Dec. 29 shooting death of 22-year-old Isaac Cole of Glassport.
Authorities alleged Sanders shot Cole in a Clairton alley in retaliation for nearly having been hit on his minibike by the Cole family car as it left a gas station. Police said video surveillance showed Sanders riding toward the alley and gunshot residue was found on his hand and clothes.
Defense attorney William Difenderfer argued, however, the slaying stemmed from a family feud over the Cole family’s missing vehicle, not the near-accident.
Prosecutors declined comment on the verdict.