Police say New Kensington man who showed them video of him strangling a woman is ordered to trial
A New Kensington man who, police say, showed them a video of him strangling a woman has been ordered to stand trial.
Morris Edward Hayes, 52, of the 300 block of Fifth Avenue, was charged May 25 with a felony count of strangulation and a count of simple assault and released from custody on a $25,000 unsecured bond, court records show.
Hayes waived his right to a preliminary hearing Aug. 23 before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr., who ordered him to stand trial in Westmoreland County Court.
A woman told officers who responded to a call for a domestic dispute about midnight May 25 that Hayes choked her and tried to throw her out of the house, according to a criminal complaint.
Police found Hayes on the bed of an upstairs bedroom and questioned him about what occurred.
He told them the incident was on video and offered to show it to officers, the complaint said.
The clip, police said, showed Hayes and the woman engaged in a verbal dispute before he places his hands around her neck and pushes her against a wall.
When the video was over, Hayes told police: “I (expletive) take me to jail. I shouldn’t have done that,” the complaint said.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
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