Attorneys target teen's deal in fatal subway attack

A deal struck between the District Attorney's Office and a teenage defendant who has pleaded guilty to taking part in the fatal subway attack of a Starbucks manager last year came under scrutiny yesterday during the trial of three other teens accused in the killing.

The defendants' attorneys took turns trying to undermine Rasheem Bell's credibility, contending that an agreement he signed this month could result in his spending little or no time in prison in exchange for his testimony against their clients.

Bell, 17, of Juniata Park, testified that on March 26, 2008, he, the three defendants and a fifth teen who also has pleaded guilty, beat and kicked Sean Patrick Conroy while he walked on a subway platform under City Hall.

The frenzied beating, which stemmed from a dare, triggered an asthma attack that killed the 36-year-old man, according to the prosecution.

Bell and Arthur Alston, 18, of Olney, have pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and conspiracy and will be sentenced Sept. 21 and Sept. 18, respectively.

On trial for the same charges are: Kinta Stanton, 17, of Logan; Ameer Best, 18, of North Philadelphia, and Nashir Fisher, 17, of Tioga.

The five friends skipped out early from Simon Gratz High School on the afternoon of the attack. All but Stanton have been released on bail.

Lee Mandell, Fisher's attorney, said that although Bell's guilty plea comes with prison time ranging from a minimum of five to 10 years and a maximum of 40 to 80 years, his Aug. 10 agreement with the D.A.'s Office would result in the minimum sentence being set aside in favor of a judge determining a sentence.

In response to a question from Mandell, Bell said he understood the agreement to mean that he could even be sentenced to probation.

"You're expecting some serious leniency from the judge?" Mandell asked him.

"Yes," answered Bell, who on Monday testified that his decision to admit his guilt in February was not the result of a plea bargain with the state.

"You are dependent on the commonwealth, aren't you?" Mandell continued. "You want to do everything to please them?"

Again, Bell answered "yes" to both questions.

Assistant District Attorney Jacqueline Juliano Coelho countered that Bell had given authorities a statement admitting his guilt and implicating the defendants months before he signed the agreement with the D.A.'s Office.

Cathy Abookire, a spokeswoman for the D.A.'s office, said the office could not comment on the agreement due to a gag order placed by Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Minehart on all participants in the trial.

In another development, Coelho called correctional officer Vance Boston to testify about an incident involving Best while he was still locked up last October.

Best threatened Boston and boasted that he would make the officer "next on his list," Boston said, after he reprimanded Best for dancing disrespectfully behind a female officer's back.

Best made the threat while Boston escorted him to his cell, the officer said.

"He said he was going to f--- me up," Boston told the court.

Yesterday began with Judge Minehart and his courtroom staff, the jury, the three defendants, lawyers and reporters leaving the Criminal Justice Center to view the subway crime scene under City Hall.

The jurors walked the same path taken by Conroy before he was jumped on the platform. They walked where he fell to his knees and held onto a handrail, gasping for breath.

They passed the three defendants, who observed the demonstration seated in a cartlike SEPTA police vehicle like the one driven by Transit Officer Omari Bervine, who first heard a commotion and scared the attackers off as he drove closer to investigate.