A man charged in connection with the death of an IUP student in 2017 will be sentenced today in Indiana County Court.
Court documents show that Brady Distefano of Johnstown, who turns 26 next week, entered a “no contest” plea to a charge of involuntary manslaughter for his part in the death of Caleb Zweig of Rockville, Maryland on February 3rd of 2017. The two were involved in a fight that night. Zweig died at Indiana Regional Medical center a few hours later.
DiStefano was originally charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault, but then-President Judge William Martin dismissed the case because of a lack of evidence. An appeal was made to State Superior Court, and the court ruled there was enough evidence for charges of aggravated assault. Later on, Martin ruled the jury could not hear evidence that Distefano’s role in the fight lead to Zweig’s death and the jury would not be allowed to hear testimony from the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy. Those rulings were also overturned in State Superior Court.
A ”no contest” plea is not an admission of guilt by the defendant, but it is still considered a conviction. His hearing is scheduled for 8:30 this morning.
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