The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal for a Carnegie man, whose murder conviction was tossed by a county judge but later reinstated by the Superior Court, in connection to a fatal shooting at a McKees Rocks club in 2021.
Charles Becher, 27, was convicted in 2021 of third-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Seth McDermit at Club Erotica. Becker’s bond was revoked pending sentencing, said sheriff’s office spokesman Mike Manko.
Prosecutors in the case said Becher shot and killed McDermit, 31, of Monongahela early Jan. 29, 2021, in the club’s parking lot. Another man, Khalil Walls, was charged with homicide in connection with the shooting death of Christopher Butler during the same incident, but was acquitted.
The jury rejected Becher’s claims of self-defense.
Before Becker could be sentenced, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Anthony Mariani threw out the conviction and ordered a new trial. Mariani pointed to testimony from a prosecution witness who said that one of Becher’s cousins said that night that Becher was going to “smoke all of them.” At a Jan. 19, 2022, hearing, Mariani said he believed the “smoke all of them” statement was improper hearsay and that it deprived Becher of a fair trial.
The district attorney’s office appealed the order to the Superior Court and, in April 2023, the appellate court reversed Mariani’s order for a new trial. Becher’s attorney appealed that decision to the state Supreme Court.
The state Supreme Court on Monday issued a one-sentence order that declined to hear Becher’s case. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kelly Bigley issued a bench warrant for Becher. Sheriff’s deputies took Becher into custody at his home Tuesday and took him to the Allegheny County Jail.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 6 before Bigley.
Kellen Stepler is a TribLive reporter covering the Allegheny Valley and Burrell school districts and surrounding areas. He joined the Trib in April 2023. He can be reached at kstepler@triblive.com.