Associated Press
NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. — A man accused of killing a Pennsylvania police officer and then leading law enforcement on a four-day manhunt with the help of his mother will stand trial, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Rahmael Sal Holt, 29, will face trial on charges he fatally shot rookie New Kensington Officer Brian Shaw last month during a routine traffic stop.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the driver of the vehicle testified during Holt’s preliminary hearing, saying Holt was armed and told him to “drive off” as the officer’s patrol car approached with its lights flashing. Holt ran out of the vehicle as it was moving and shot Shaw, 25, multiple times as the officer chased after him, authorities said.
Defense attorney Justin Ketchel said that Holt maintains his innocence and called the evidence against his client “scant.”
Tips from informants helped police locate Holt after a four-day search for him was prolonged by conflicting narratives told by the suspect’s mother about when she had last seen her son, officials said.
A SWAT team arrested Holt in Pittsburgh in late November and he’s being held in a Pennsylvania correctional facility. His mother has been charged with hindering his apprehension.