A Montgomery County lawyer accused of killing a hunter last fall near Quakertown instructed a worker to hid his gun collection, the Courier Times reported.
Authorities say that David Manilla shot and killed 52-year-old Barry Groh in a hunting accident last November. However, in police interviews following the shooting, he did not immediately admit to accident. When he did confess, Manilla said he thought he had been shooting a deer.
A man who says he did odd jobs for Manilla told the Bucks County court that he helped hide the lawyer's firearms from authorities, at Manilla's request.
The Courier Times said:
A convicted felon who worked "under the table" for lawyer David Manilla has admitted to a Bucks County grand jury that he hid about 50 firearms for Manilla the day after the attorney allegedly shot and killed a Quakertown hunter.
James Stewart, 42, of Souderton testified before the panel in Doylestown in exchange for immunity from prosecution, according to documents filed this week in Bucks County Court.
In addition to the manslaughter charge, Manilla is also in trouble for firearm possession.
Philly.com reported that he was convicted in 1985 of felony assault, and is prohibited by Pennsylvania law from owning a firearm. Philly.com wrote:
If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree misdemeanor, Manilla faces up to five years in prison.
But he also faces three felony counts of illegal firearms possession for the guns he had with him in Bucks County. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Manilla had been involved in another shooting accident in 1993. While hunting pheasant with three other lawyers in Schuylkill County, he accidentally shot another man. For the incident, Manilla's hunting license was suspended for two years.
