By Rich Cholodofsky

Published: Thursday, November 15, 2012, 12:01 a.m.
Updated: Thursday, November 15, 2012

A new attorney has been appointed to represent a Ligonier man accused of killing two people during a robbery last year in Washington Township.

Westmoreland County Judge Rita Hathaway on Wednesday appointed Greensburg attorney Mike DeMatt to represent Eric Hall, 24, in the pending homicide trial.

Hall, 30, is awaiting trial for the Aug. 28, 2011 slaying of Anthony Henderson and Noelle Richards, both 24. Police said Hall bludgeoned Henderson with a baseball bat, then fatally shot him and Richards.

Hall was arrested on Dec. 13 at his mother's house in Ligonier.

He previously was represented by the county Public Defender's Office, but last week office lawyers asked to be dismissed from the case.

In court documents, public defenders Greg Cecchetti and John Sweeney said their office had a conflict of interest because it represented a potential witness for the prosecution against Hall.

According to court records, investigators last month questioned Raymond Rivera, an Arnold man who has been in jail for more than a year awaiting his trial on murder charges.

Rivera, 35, is accused of shooting 37-year-old John L. Evans and wounding his cousin, Willie J. Young, on Oct. 20, 2011 in front of the Family Dollar Store in Central City Plaza in downtown New Kensington.

Rivera's trial is slated to start in March.

No trial date has been scheduled for Hall.

Rich Cholodofsky is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.

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