A witness in the high-profile case of the alleged assault at Pizza Milano was killed in a two-car accident Sunday near Frankstown Road and Washington Boulevard.
James Blackburne shot the video of the alleged assault inside Pizza Milano and was slated to be a witness in the case.
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George Kontos, the attorney for the alleged victim, Jade Martin, says Blackburne is someone they would have wanted to get on the stand to take his statement under oath. He says they'll still be able to use the video Blackburne took, which – by all accounts – is the most crucial piece of evidence.
However, he’s disappointed not to be able to speak to Blackburne under oath.
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Kontos says Blackburne’s cellphone video is central to the civil and criminal cases.
Pittsburgh police are investigating the crash that killed Blackburne, but police spokeswoman Alicia George said that case is separate from the Pizza Milano case.
Blackburne would have been called to authenticate the video he shot that night. Kontos believes they’ll still be able to use it in their lawsuit against the restaurant.
“I think that it can be authenticated through other means and through other people so I’m hopeful that we’ll still be able to use the critical piece of information that he was able to obtain for us," said Kontos.