Sep. 9—Whether a Meadville homicide case from two years ago goes on trial next week in Crawford County Court of Common Pleas now remains to be determined.
Timothy Bolden, 27, and Martavious K. Stout, 19, were scheduled to go on trial starting Monday on Meadville Police Department charges of homicide and other counts for their alleged roles in the 2021 shooting death of Nathaniel Harris.
Harris, 19, died from multiple gunshot wounds during an armed robbery and burglary at his 376 1/2 Walnut St. apartment at 3 a.m. July 3, 2021.
At a pretrial hearing Friday afternoon, Dustin Cole, Stout’s court-appointed defense attorney, told the court a new plea offer was made Friday to Stout by the Crawford County District Attorney’s Office.
While Cole had spoken with Stout and Stout’s mother, there had not been enough time to discuss the offer fully, Cole said. Stout’s mother asked for additional time to discuss it with her son, Cole told President Judge John Spataro.
Spataro did agree to give Cole and the Stouts additional time to review offer. In agreeing to more time, Spataro noted Stout was only 16 at the time of alleged crime.
Spataro issued an order that jury selection in Stout’s case would not begin on Monday, but on Tuesday. However, the order also stated jury selection might not begin at all — if a plea bargain was accepted by Stout.
Meanwhile, Kormon Maknoon, Bolden’s defense attorney, told Spataro that Bolden is seeking to have his case separated from Stout’s and wants to be tried separately.
At a hearing late last month, Maknoon told the court Bolden had rejected a potential plea offer from the District Attorney’s Office and wanted to go to trial.
Another status conference on the trial is to be scheduled by the court Tuesday or Wednesday.
Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.