A 16-year-old South Philly boy was ordered held for trial on a murder charge in the shooting deaths of two other teens Oct. 24.
Brandon Olivieri remains behind bars and in protective custody at Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center and will be formally arraigned Jan. 17.
Family members for the two alleged victims in the case, Caleer Miller and Salvatore DiNubile, were in the courtroom Wednesday at the preliminary hearing. Miller and DiNubile allegedly were shot during an argument at the corner of 12th and Ritner streets in South Philadelphia, authorities have said.
Olivieri surrendered to police three days after the shooting. Prosecutors have alleged that Olivieri may have shot his friend, Miller, accidentally. He allegedly targeted DiNubile, who was a friend of another teenager that previously fought with Miller, according to prosecutors in court.
The case, which traumatized the South Philadelphia neighborhood where the boys lived, again stoked emotions in the courtroom — both from the viewing gallery and from the judge's bench.
Members of the victims' families were visibly angry as they left the hearing, ordered by Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Patrick Dugan to depart separately from the family for Olivieri.
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Dugan also lost his cool at the end of the hearing, following uncooperative testimony from the prosecution's lone witness, a 15-year-old boy who refused to answer some of the prosecutor's questions. The boy was held in contempt of court.
"We all must look in the mirror," Dugan said, growing angry as he talked about a "gun culture" in Philadelphia. "We're buying them on the street like we're buying soda."
He also railed against what he perceives as a lack of parental guidance.
"Where are all our adults that these kids are playing with guns?" he asked. "Where the hell are we going to stand up in our society and stop this crap?"
