Westmoreland County Judge Megan Bilik-DeFazio yesterday issued a fourteen-page ruling that Ray Shetler Jr.’s murder trial can move forward, denying several defense motions that could have jeopardized the case. Shetler’s trial for the shooting death of Saint Clair Township police officer Lloyd Reed Jr. is scheduled for October 2nd.
The 32-year-old Shetler is accused of shooting Reed during an exchange of gunfire after Shetler emerged from his girlfriend’s New Florence home armed with a rifle and ignored Reed’s order to put it down.
Bilik-Defazio held a hearing on July 12th and her ruling yesterday was in response to motions by attorney Marc Daffner to dismiss charges of first-degree murder and third-degree murder. Citing statements made by Shetler that he knew Reed was a police officer, the judge rejected Daffner’s claim to the contrary. She also denied a defense request to examine the personnel files of Reed and his backup officer on the night of the fatal shooting, Justin Dickert.
Reed and Dickert had been summoned to the home of Kristin Luther on a domestic violence report in November of 2015. In addition to the murder charges, Shetler faces separate trials for stealing a pickup truck in his escape attempt after the shooting, and terroristic threats, simple assault, and harassment for domestic abuse against Luther.
