Death penalty out in Piazza murder trial

Philadelphia prosecutors today withdrew the threat of the death penalty from the trial of the double slayings during a botched drug robbery at the new Piazza at Schmidts complex after one of the gunman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms.

Donnell Murchison, 35, pleaded guilty earlier today to two counts of first-degree murder in the shootings of party planner Rian Thal and her friend Timothy Gilmore.

According to court records, Murchison was immediately sentenced to two consecutive life prison terms with no chance of parole by Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart.

Murchison and Antonio Wright, 30, were the only two of six men schedule for trial who faced the possibility of a death sentence if convicted of first-degree murder.

Although prosecutors could not comment because of a judge-imposed gag order, the decision seemed logical with Murchison out of the case and with the alleged mastermind of the robbery gone wrong, Will Hook, 43, and another gunman also no longer exposed to possible capital punishment.

The decision to withdraw the death penalty in Wright's case was confirmed by defense attorney Gary S. Server, who would have presented mitigating evidence for Wright had he been convicted of first-degree murder and the death penalty remained.

Murchison was the second person to plead guilty today on what was to have been the first day of jury selection in the case.

A guilty plea by another defendant, Robert Keith, 29, is expected on Tuesday or Wednesday. That means that once a jury is selected what began as a six defendant capital case will be down to three: Hook, Wright, an another alleged shooter, Edward N. Daniels, 44.

Earlier, Langdon Scott, 28, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, robbery and burglary in a deal in which he is expected to testify at trial against the four remaining defendants. Minehart set sentencing for Jan. 4 and told Scott he faces up to 60 years in prison.

Minehart gave no reason for closing the courtroom other than security, but it is known that Scott was stabbed in prison after it became known that he testified against another Piazza defendant at a hearing in August.

One other defendant, Katoya Jones, 27, pleaded guilty last year and is expected to testify. Jones lived a floor below Thal's posh seventh-floor Northern Liberties apartment and let the gunmen through the security door in exchange for a cut of drug money.

It is not known if Murchison's plea involves testifying against the others, who include Will Hook, 43, the alleged mastermind of the June 27, 2009 robbery gone wrong, and Antonio Wright, 30, one of the other alleged gunman and the only other defendant facing the possibility of the death penalty.

Investigators say that Thal, 34, and Gilmore, 40, a long-distance trucker from Ohio, were involved in drug trafficking and were targeted because it was known that Thal had more than $100,000 in cash and 8-1/2 pounds of cocaine stashed in her apartment.