A Philadelphia man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a man called by authorities his former partner in a drug business.
The Reading Eagle reports that Montgomery County jurors deliberated for nearly three hours Friday before convicting 38-year-old Richard Collins. He faces a mandatory life term without parole in the March 2015 slaying of 38-year-old Artie Bradley in Pottstown.
Assistant District Attorney Samantha Cauffman said a mounting drug debt led to the defendant "ending his money problems with six bullets."
Defense attorney Paul Bauer III pointed the finger at Collins' girlfriend, 23-year-old Mariah Walton of Pottstown, who pleaded guilty to third-degree murder last month. Bauer said testimony from another witness that Collins confessed on the transport bus from prison last week was "devastating."
