Indiana County Court Judges Thomas Bianco and William Martin have both issued rulings for the two defendants in the murders of a Cherryhill Township couple in October of 2016.
20-year-old Justin Stevenson and 19-year-old Nathan Price are charged with killing Timothy Gardner and Jacqueline Brink during a drug deal at the couple’s home outside of Clymer. They’re accused of plotting to rob Gardner, but instead beating him to death, and killing Brink because she was a witness Two young children who were asleep in the apartment were unharmed. A third suspect, Isaiah Scott, was originally charged as an adult, but his case was transferred to juvenile court.
Judge Bianco has granted Stevenson’s motion to sever his case from Price’s. He denied a motion for a change of venue, but will allow defense attorney David Schrager to raise the issue again during jury selection. The judge also granted Stevenson’s motion for a gag order for the case, and said he will issue a separate order on what specifically will be deemed prohibited conduct and by whom. A motion for discovery was deemed moot as both sides accepted the DNA expert. And the judge ordered the defense and prosecution to submit briefs by March 16th on a motion to suppress a search warrant for cell phone records. He also ruled that the hearing will remain open and resume on March 14th, and continued Stevenson’s Criminal Call to June 1st.
Judge Martin ruled in the case against Nathan Price, granting him the right to hire defense experts Dr. Lawrence Steinberg, a Temple University psychologist specializing in adolescents, and Dr. Kirk Heilburn of Drexel University, who is a clinical psychologist. The judge denied a motion to have Price transferred from the Indiana County Jail to a correctional facility in Philadelphia, where Steinberg and Heilburn are located.
Stevenson and Price remain in the Indiana County Jail with no possibility of bond. District Attorney Pat Dougherty will seek the death penalty against both defendants.
