A preliminary hearing will be held this morning for a Johnstown man accused of choking to death his IUP fraternity brother in a fight on February 3rd.
19-year-old Brady DiStefano is charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault in the strangulation death of 20-year-old Caleb Zweig of Rockville, Maryland. The two were involved in a fight on the night of February 3rd in the 800 block of Wayne Avenue. A witness said DiStefano was on top of Zweig and was choking him. The witness said he pulled DiStefano away and applied medical aid until ambulance personnel arrived, but Zweig never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead early the next morning at the Indiana Regional Medical Center.
DiStefano is no longer enrolled at IUP. He is free on $50,000 bond after District Attorney Pat Dougherty said he will not be charged with first or second degree murder. A general charge of criminal homicide also allows prosecution for third degree murder or involuntary manslaughter.
The hearing was originally scheduled for yesterday morning, but was re-scheduled for this morning at 8:30 before District Judge George Thachik in Clymer.
