BALDWIN, Pa. — A man has been charged with criminal homicide following a deadly bar fight in July. The additional charge was added against 22-year-old Zachary Blake on Monday.
Mark Thompson, 51, of Pittsburgh, died from blunt force trauma to the head at Allegheny General Hospital following the fight. Thompson was a beloved little league coach and a doting father of three.
When police were called to the bar, they were told Thompson was on the floor unconscious and bleeding, and CPR was being performed, a criminal complaint stated.
Witnesses told police Thompson had been trying to break up a fight between two men and that Blake, the brother of one of the men, punched Thompson in the face.
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As Thompson fell to the ground, Blake got on top of Thompson and continued to punch him several more times in the face and then kicked him in the face, according to the complaint.
Blake told police that his brother was fighting Thompson, and he intervened to protect his brother. He said he punched Thompson “once or twice,” the complaint stated.
Casey White is the lawyer representing Zachary Blake.
He tells Channel 11 this is a case of self-defense, and he’s confident the law is on his client’s side.
“During this altercation, Mr. Blake had to defend himself,” White said. “That’s what he did. He also had to defend his brother, and that’s what he did.”
White said Thompson was the aggressor, adding, “It was an unfortunate set of circumstances that led them to meet that night. At no point in time did he want to cause serious bodily injury to Mr. Thompson.”
Before Thompson’s death, Blake was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, harassment, and disorderly conduct.
Blake will be back in court on Dec. 10 for his homicide charge.
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