Death Penalty Charge Dismissed in Piazza Murders

First-degree murder charge dropped for the alleged "brain" behind shootings

A judge dismissed first-degree murder charges against the man accused of being the mastermind behind the double murder of Rhian Thal and Timothy Gilmore at the Piazza at Schmidts in Northern Liberties last summer.

Common Pleas Court Judge Benjamin Lerner said Friday there was insufficient evidence that 40-year-old Will "Pooh" Hook planned the killings in June at the upscale Navona apartment complex at the piazza.

The ruling means Hook, who has several aliases, will not face the death penalty if convicted of the murders of 34-year-old Thal and 40-year-old Gilmore.

Surveillance cameras caught the shootings from several different angles, as well as the gunmen entering and leaving the building.

Hook praised the judge's ruling and said through his attorney that he hopes a jury will acquit him.

But Lerner said prosecutors can seek the death penalty against 33-year-old Donnell Murchison, who prosecutors allege to have been the lead gunman.

Thal, 34, was a party and event planner. She was well known in the city's nightlife and hip hop scene. Investigators say she was also a top-dollar drug dealer and Hook set up the ambush to steal drugs from her.
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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