Trial begins for man accused of killing family in Thanksgiving Day crash
Testimony began this week in the trial of man charged with killing a family of three Thanksgiving Day in 2016 as he tried to flee police near Route 30 in North Versailles.
David Bianco, his fiancée, Kaylie Meininger and her young daughter Annika died when their Ford Taurus burst into flames after Demetrius Coleman allegedly ran a red light and slammed into their car.
On Friday, prosecutors presented the 2-year-old child’s shoe as evidence, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV.
Officers from North Versailles and East McKeesport pursued Demetrius Coleman after he fled a traffic stop along Route 30 on Nov. 24, 2016. Coleman reached speeds of almost 100 mph, police have said.
Jurors also heard audio from the police pursuit, according to the TV station.
On Thursday, jurors were shown the surveillance video from the gas station where police first stopped Coleman for making an illegal left turn. Police said he was driving without a valid license and was also wanted on an outstanding drug warrant.
WPXI reported that Coleman’s defense attorney did not dispute that Coleman was driving, but rather argued he did not intend for the crash to happen.
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