Arrmon Hagans was facing a potential life sentence in connection with a Stowe homicide.
But as part of a plea agreement, the 46-year-old might get no prison time at all.
All Hagans must do to uphold his part of the bargain, he told a jury on Wednesday, is testify against his co-defendant and “be truthful.”
Hagans took the stand on the second day of trial for Cy-Miar Woods, who was 15 when he was charged with fatally shooting Michael Dean, 26, on Nov. 22, 2023.
That afternoon, Hagans testified, he picked up Woods, 18, of McKees Rocks, Woods’ brother and another male to give them a jitney ride to a music studio.
Hagans, of Wilkinsburg, said he planned to stop first at Dean’s house on Benwood Avenue in Stowe to buy marijuana.
Woods and the others wanted to buy some, too.
Hagans testified he had no idea Woods was going to pull a gun that afternoon, let alone fire a single, fatal shot.
“This isn’t what we came here for,” Hagans said. “We came here for some weed, and now, there’s all this chaos.”
As he spoke to Dean briefly, asking him for marijuana, Woods and his brother were standing out of sight, wearing masks and gloves, Hagans told the jury.
“Out of nowhere, Cy-Miar nudges me out of the way, puts his foot in the door and pulls his gun,” Hagans testified.
Dean slammed the door closed, and as he did, Hagans continued, Woods fired through the door, striking Dean in the head.
“As soon as he shot, I took off,” Hagans said. “I was in shock.”
The others ran with him back to the rented Dodge Charger they arrived in. As they ran, Hagans testified, he swore at Woods, asking why he fired.
“Did you know you had just witnessed a murder?” asked Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney Matt Goddard.
“No, sir,” Hagans answered.
It was only later, he continued, when he was emptying out the rental car, that Hagans said he found the gun used in the shooting wrapped in a shirt in the back seat.
He kept it and had it with him eight days later when he was arrested at a hotel near the airport.
When Hagans spoke to police the first time they interviewed him, he said he did not identify the alleged shooter.
“In the streets, snitches get stitches,” Hagans said. “You get dealt with, beat up, shot, stabbed.”
But after a couple of weeks in the Allegheny County Jail, Hagans said he decided to tell investigators what happened that day.
They told him if he could provide the name of the shooter, and testify at trial, he would be given a favorable plea deal.
Hagans was initially charged with criminal homicide and related counts. If convicted of first- or second-degree murder, a life sentence would be mandatory.
But as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Hagans told the jury, he is now facing a significantly reduced sentence.
Hagans will be permitted to plead guilty to tampering with evidence, being a person not to possess a firearm and carrying a firearm without a license. There is no agreement about his sentence.
The defense rebuts
During opening statements on Tuesday, defense attorney Randall McKinney told the jury that Hagans organized a robbery of Dean that day, and that the plan was for Hagans to distract the victim while the others robbed him.
Hagans’ testimony, McKinney said, would be self-serving and untruthful. It was all the prosecution had against his client, he said.
During 30 minutes of cross-examination, McKinney highlighted inconsistencies between Hagans’ statements to investigators and his testimony. Among them:
- Hagans testified Wednesday that he had bought marijuana from Dean approximately five times for personal use, but he previously said he would sometimes sell Dean’s pot for a profit
- Hagans told police he acted as a jitney driver, providing rides for people, including Woods. But on cross, he admitted to McKinney there were no text messages in his phone consistent with him doing such work
- Hagans told police Woods got in the front seat after the shooting, but told the jury Woods got in the back seat
- Hagans told investigators that after the shooting, Woods called or texted to tell him Dean had died, but he admitted to the jury that investigators found no such calls or messages on his phone
Hagans, who has been held in the Allegheny County Jail since his arrest, also told the jury he had known Woods for a while and had interacted with him probably 50 times before the shooting. Not once, he testified, had he ever seen the teen with a gun.
The case is expected to go to closing arguments on Thursday.