Man held for trial in shooting death of NBA player's father

A neighbor of the man charged in the November killing in Germantown of an NBA star's father testified at a preliminary hearing Tuesday that she saw the accused shooter approach the victim and heard the gunshot that would kill Wayne Ellington Sr.

But a motive in the killing of Ellington, father of Los Angeles Lakers guard Wayne Ellington Jr., remains unclear.

Carl White was ordered held for trial. His lawyer said after the hearing that White maintains his innocence.

Ellington Sr. was found dead on the 5200 block of Marion Street on Nov. 9. He had been shot once in the head and was found in his red Oldsmobile, which had struck several parked cars.

In court Tuesday, neighbor Zakiah Hutchinson testified that she saw Ellington's car going down the street.

White said "Yo!" and walked over to the car, Hutchinson testified.

Watching from the sidewalk, Hutchinson said, she heard two gunshots and saw a muzzle flash.

"The car drifted," she said.

Hutchinson said she did not call police that night, but became concerned when White came to her house to speak to her nephew several days later.

"I wasn't feeling good about it," she said, and called 911. She later made a formal statement to homicide detectives.

Questioned by defense attorney James Berardinelli, Hutchinson testified that White did not flee the scene and stayed on the block.

Berardinelli asked Hutchinson several questions about how far away she had been from the gunman and the car when the shooting occurred.

"There are issues here as to whether this was a reliable identification," he said after the hearing.

Assistant District Attorney Kirk Handrich said prosecutors are working to determine a motive in the case and that investigation has turned up other witnesses.

Ellington's relatives, who filled several benches in the courtroom Tuesday, said they remain devastated by his death.

"I'm glad this part is over," his wife, Elaine, said of the hearing. "I'm looking for justice to be served."

awhelan@philly.com

215-854-2961 @aubreyjwhelan