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Witness Claims He Robbed Bank, Not Defendant(PITTSBURGH, (UPI) - A murder suspect, brought into court from the county jail to testify for a friend, suddenly announced that he — not the defendant — staged an $80,000 bank holdup.fThe surprise defense witness, Peter Biagiarelli, 25, told the county' court he gave about $30,000 of the loot to the defendant, Richard E. Hinkel, 33, to keep for him after .the. robbery July 24, 1969.“I told him I won it shooting craps,” Biagiarelli said.Biagiareili said he decided to confess on the stand because “Dick said if I'didn’t, he’d tell on me.”The case was to go to the jury today. lt;’Biagiarelli identified his accomplice as Lawrence Paul Windsor, a co-defendant in thecase.■Government'witnesses earlier testified they traced $2(1,000 of the loot, found in a safety deposit box, to Hinkel.Biagiarelli, who was indicted for murder in a robbery-slayinglast April, said .he and Windsor got the keys to a branch of the Keystone Bank from a “tip-off” man. They went to the bank about 4 a.m. and hid im the manager's office until the employes began arriving in the morning. ' „“After the vault opened,” hd said, “I ran out and announced I was robbing the place. They all screamed, including the manager.”He said he locked all the em-1 ployes in the vault after taking the money and “told the people after 10 minutes I .would call the cops and tell themthey were there.”Following a brief recess in the trial before Judge Rabe F. Marsh, prosecuting attorney Blair Griffith paraded about 12 persons in front of Biagiarelli, asking the witness to identify the bank employes.Biagiarelli said he could not identify them because he didnot wear his' glasses the day of the holdup and he “can’t make out the fine details without them.” -Evangelist Meeting First Baptist Church Scottdale, Pa.Rtv. Fred M. Fariu Oct. 4fh thru fth Public InvitedL/AS PfiOMPTPRESCRIPTIONSERVICENO WAITING'SWAN’SDROG STORE112 South Pittsburg Ik Dial 628-4310
Newspaper Details
Connellsville Daily Courier
Connellsville, Pennsylvania, US
Wed, Sep 30, 1970
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 05 Jan 2019
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