Update On The Murder Of Trooper Joseph Pokorny

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For the background on this story see my previous post here.

It appears they have a suspect in custody:

Police late Wednesday charged a Knoxville drug dealer with the fatal shooting of state police Cpl. Joseph Pokorny during a traffic stop in Carnegie.

Leslie D. Mollett, 31, was awaiting arraignment in Pittsburgh Municipal Court last night on charges of homicide, theft, resisting arrest, fleeing from police and gun charges for Monday’s slaying.

“We believe that he was the sole triggerman,” state police Maj. Frank Monaco said during a news conference announcing the arrest.

Mollett, who was paroled from prison Nov. 17 after serving two years for drug dealing, has been in the Allegheny County Jail since Monday when he was arrested following a five-hour standoff with police at the South Side home of his girlfriend, Charise Cheatom, 23.

It was Cheatom’s 2001 Mercury Sable that police said Pokorny pulled over shortly after 2 a.m. Monday outside an Extended StayAmerica hotel near an on-ramp to the Parkway West.

Pokorny, 45, of Moon, a 22-year state police veteran and father of two teenagers, died from a bullet wound to the chest during a violent struggle. Police said he was shot multiple times.

Pokorny’s Beretta .40-caliber pistol was taken from him and has not been recovered. Mollett’s Glock semiautomatic pistol was found near Pokorny’s body, police said. Monaco would not say which gun Pokorny was shot with.

[…]Mollett’s relatives said yesterday they didn’t think he was involved in Pokorny’s death.

“He’s an alright guy, so he didn’t do it,” said his cousin, Nikisha Mollett, of Arlington Heights, who said she grew up with her cousin in St. Clair Village

Yup, he’s an alright guy so no way this drug dealer could of killed a cop….sigh

Police arrested Leslie Mollett twice in 2002 after finding heroin on him during traffic stops in Carrick and St. Clair Village, court records show.

At the time of those arrests, Mollett was on probation for fleeing from police following a car crash in Mt. Oliver, court records show. He previously was arrested for fleeing from police, drug possession and carrying a gun without a license.

The suspect is also admitting that there was a struggle with the trooper:

The 30-year-old parolee charged last night in the shooting death of state police Cpl. Joseph Pokorny in Carngie admitted to investigators that he fought with the trooper after being pulled over for speeding but said he fled in his car before the slaying.

The statement by the suspect, Leslie G. Mollett, contained in an affadvit supporting his arrest, does not explain how he was able to get away from Cpl. Pokorny and the struggle near the Extended StayAmerica hotel in Carngie on Monday.

Mr. Mollett’s version was contradicted by the two passengers that he said he left behind. They said they ran away from the scene during the struggle between Cpl. Pokorny and Mr. Mollett and then heard multiple gunshots, the affadvit said.

While some elements of the slaying still remain murky, the affidavit indicated that the murder weapon may have been Cpl. Pokorny’s own department-issued Baretta. Investigators said shell casings found at the murder scene were consistent with state police ammunition. Cpl. Pokorny’s gun has not been found.

However, at the scene, investigators discovered a fully loaded .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun. Mr. Mollett said in his statement he had that gun in the car he was driving.

Cpl. Pokorny pulled over the car driven by Mr. Mollett following a chase that began when the trooper spotted the car going more than 80 mph on the Parkway West.

That information about a chase is also new to me which is detailed much more clearly in the affadavit:

In court papers related to the arrest, police have revealed more details about what happened in the moments leading up to Corporal Joe Pokorny’s murder.

The traffic stop which turned fatal for Corporal Pokorny was not a routine traffic stop.

Leslie Mollett was speeding on the Parkway West with two passengers and an illegal, semi-automatic handgun in the car.

Corporal Pokorney chased them and they crashed starting a fatal chain of events.

Court papers say Mollett admits he was going 80-90 miles per hour in his girlfriend’s Mercury Sable when Corporal Pokorny started in pursuit.

Mollett concedes that he crashed outside of the Extended Stayamerica motel and that he and Pokorny wrestled outside the car.

That’s where Mollett’s version of events and those of his two passengers diverge.

In an affidavit, Mollett claims he got away from Pokorny and “fled the scene alone in the Mercury Sable.”

The passenger labeled “passenger one” says Mollett “resisted and began to fight” with Pokorny. “Passenger two” says Pokorny had to “spray Mollett with pepper spray.”

The passengers then say that they ran away into nearby woods and heard multiple gunshots.

Later, one of the passengers says, Mollett called him on a cell phone and told him Pokorny quote “got three to the head.”

Attorneys for Mollett say that despite those statements, their client will plead not guilty at his preliminary hearing next week.

?The affidivit itself is hearsay,? said John Elash, Mollett?s attorney. ?Until you have somebody saying what somebody else said, until you have the opportunity to cross examine those people, I don’t think you can make a true judgment.?

Both passengers one and two will be expected to testify against Mollett and state police tell me their identities are being withheld for their own protection. Attorneys for Mollett say their credibility will be an issue.

?I would think we would try to attack the credibility of anyone trying to get to the truth,? said James Ecker, Mollett?s other attorney. ?The truth is the key in this case and in every case.?

The affidavit confirms, Pokorny was shot in the head and the chest.

It says Mollett’s coat and his “glock” handgun were found at the scene, but Pokorny’s state police issue Beretta was not. Police believe Pokorny’s own gun was used to kill him.

More:

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Mollett’s two passengers, who police have yet to publicly identify but were questioned extensively during the three-day investigation, were ready to comply when Pokorny approached the black Mercury Sable and ordered them all to show their hands and for Mollett to place his hands on the car.

Passenger two told officials that Mollett became physically combative causing the Pokorny to use pepper spray on Mollett.

Mollett then grabbed the officer’s arm and causing the pepper spray to discharge erratically.

Both passengers told police at that point they ran away but heard multiple gunshots as they fled.

One of Mollett’s passengers told police that a few minutes they got a cell phone call from Mollet stating, “The officer got three to the head.”

During my reading of the various newstories about this case I found it odd how there appeared to be no radio traffic prior to the struggle, until I found this buried deep:

At 1:56 a.m., police said Pokorny notified state police dispatch that he was in pursuit of a vehicle.

When asked for his location, Pokorny said he was pulling into the Extended Stay parking lot, police said.

Mollett admitted to not stopping for the trooper and then crashing the car, police said.

According to police, other state troopers were proceeding to the scene to assist Pokorny.

At 2:05 a.m., state police dispatch said Allegheny County 911 notified them that a Carnegie police officer found Pokorny — who had been shot.

Pokorny was pronounced dead at 2:26 a.m. by a medic from Carnegie EMS, police said.

Even sadder news:

Officials said Cpl. Joseph Pokorny was wearing body armor at the time he was shot.

A bulletproof vest was meant to serve as a last line of defense.

However, it doesn’t cover the entire upper body, which is why it couldn’t help Pokorny.

Pokorny was shot twice.

The Allegheny County coroner said the wound to his neck would not have killed him, but the wound he took to the chest was fatal.

Deputy Coroner Joe Dominick said, “Much like you or I wearing a vest for a suit, there are areas that are exposed around the chest particularly around the sleeve. And it just happened to come right inside that area that’s exposed.”

Dominick said if the vest was just a half-inch to the left, it might have saved Pokorny’s life.

Sometimes that is all it takes, a half inch this way or that can mean the difference between life and death.

I’m wondering how long it will take before the Jesse Jackson’s of the world take up the cause of this scumbag, I mean he was only out for a drive and needed the gun for protection. You know how dangerous it can be selling drugs. Where is our country headed if a man can’t make a living without the man stepping all over him.

How long until he starts writing childrens books you gather? How long until he gets a nomination for a Nobel Prize?


I’m wondering how long it will take before the Jesse Jackson’s of the world take up the cause of this scumbag, I mean he was only out for a drive and needed the gun for protection. You know how dangerous it can be selling drugs. Where is our country headed if a man can’t make a living without the man stepping all over him.

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Why didn’t the media give descriptions of these black suspects and copkillers?

Black people are a plague on the white men.If a white guy killed a black trooper,it would be international news.Nobody ever condemns the black community for putting out so many criminal black men(80% of black men are crime and violent prone).
White, liberal-fags are so afraid of black people,it’s sickening.

MOre info. KDKA has some footage here from today’s ceremonies. The one story (fourth thumbnail on the video player) shows us standing formation in the snow, as the honor guard renders a 21 gun salute and the pipers play “Amazing Grace.”