PITTSBURGH — A man is going to trial after shooting a woman who refused his advances outside of a bar.
Charles McKinney is accused of shooting and killing Janese Talton outside of Clif's Bar last month.
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Six witnesses were heard during Wednesday’s hearing, including a security guard who testified that he heard McKinney say, “That stupid (expletive), I’m gonna merk her.” Merk is a slang term used for murder.
The security guard also claims that he saw McKinney and Talton in the street together, saw a flash, and then Talton fall to the ground.
Talton’s family, including her older brother State Representative Ed Gainey, heard almost two hours of testimony.
"I love my daughter. She was a great mother and she's going to be sorely missed," said Talton’s father.
McKinney’s defense attorney, Wendy Williams, said the shooting was accidental and that no one saw McKinney with a gun in his hand.
"We are very confident that we can show it was not an intentional homicide," Williams said.
Williams said that her client had been shot in the head by police during a chase that night, and explained his resistance to arrest.
"Obviously right or wrong, if you've been shot once or twice by the police in the head, you're going to be terrified if you're surrounded by armed officers,” said Williams.
The medic that treated McKinney for his gunshot wound testified that heroin and a firearm were found in his jacket.
Police say the shell casing they found at the scene matches the bullets in the gun found on McKinney.
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