Family of Peters man who died after bar fight unhappy with plea deal, slams DA's office

A forensic pathologist said that Mark Thompson’s heart was three times the size it should have been, and that he died as a result of “an acute cardiac event.”

But Thompson’s family said he never would have died in July 2021 if a man hadn’t attacked him outside the Loose Moose Saloon in Baldwin.

That man, Zachary C. Blake, pleaded guilty in November to involuntary manslaughter. On Tuesday, he was ordered to spend 11-1/2 to 23 months in jail.

That amount of time, the victim’s family said, is not long enough.

“He will be out in a year, potentially, where the kids have lost their father for the rest of their lives,” said Brenda Thompson, the mother of the victim’s three children.

Around 11 p.m. on July 18, 2021, Blake’s brother and Thompson’s friend got into a fight in the parking lot of the Loose Moose Saloon on Brownsville Road.

Blake and Thompson got involved a short time later, and Deputy District Attorney Brian Catanzarite said Blake punched Thompson to the ground, got on top of him, and continued to punch him and kick him in the face. He also spat on him.

Thompson, 51, was taken to Jefferson Hospital and then to Allegheny General in Pittsburgh where he died four days later.

Blake, 23, of Peters Township was initially charged with criminal homicide, but pleaded guilty before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Susan Evashavik DiLucente to a lesser, misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter.

It was a deal Thompson’s family said they didn’t support.

“That’s something the DA did behind our backs,” said his sister, Melissa Wittler. ”There’s no justice given to Mark. It’s insulting to say those blows didn’t kill him. He would not have died otherwise.”

Initially, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Thompson died from head injuries sustained in the fight, but Catanzarite said during the plea hearing there were no skull fractures or subdural bleeding.

Defense attorney Casey White hired a forensic pathologist who found that Thompson died of an acute cardiac event related to an enlarged heart more than three times its normal size.

In a report, forensic pathologist Dr. Jennifer Hammers called Thompson’s head injuries superficial, noting there were a few abrasions and contusions on the left, right and front. She also said some of them were likely the result of his collapse to the ground rather than from being punched.

Catanzarite said the commonwealth could not disprove her findings.

The defense did not present any witnesses at sentencing, but Blake read a statement to the court saying that he wished he could take back his actions that day.

“I will forever carry the weight of guilt on my shoulders for the rest of my life reminding me of the pain I have caused,” Blake said. “I understand that my apology will not alleviate any of the pain and suffering, and it is not my intention to ask for forgiveness, rather I just want you to know that I am from the bottom of my heart deeply sorry.”

Thompson’s family submitted three victim impact statements to the court asking for the maximum possible sentence.

The letters portrayed Thompson as a loving man whose family meant everything to him.

He coached his children’s baseball team, and they looked forward to him someday coaching their kids, too.

“The loss of my dad extends beyond our family, as he was a beloved coach to so many of the kids in South Park,” wrote his oldest son, Adam Thompson.

Brenda Thompson said the victim talked to his children almost every day. Now, they are left to grieve.

“Our best moments are when friends share a memory, and we know that they haven’t forgotten him,” Brenda Thompson said.

In sentencing Blake, the judge told the victim’s family she understood their grief. But she reiterated that the head injuries were superficial and did not cause Thompson’s death.

In addition to the jail term, Blake must also serve three years probation and undergo a mental health and drug and alcohol evaluation.