Day 3: Witness testifies he twice saw Rahmael Holt with a gun

A man who shared a house with accused New Kensington cop killer Rahmael Holt testified Wednesday that he twice saw Holt with a gun.

Michael Luffey, 35, was the lead witness to testify for the prosecution on the third day of Holt’s capital murder trial before Westmoreland County President Judge Rita Hathaway.

Prosecutors also questioned Luffey’s girlfriend, Holly Clemons, 25.

Luffey testified that he, Clemons and their children were living in a house on Victoria Avenue with Lakita Caine and her daughter, Taylor Mitchell. Mitchell who was in a relationship with Holt.

According to testimony from Luffey and Clemons, Holt was at the house all the time and slept there.

Luffey testified he once saw Holt place a black, .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol on the dining room table. He said he also saw Holt with a gun in his waistband, but he couldn’t be sure it was the same weapon he saw Holt place on the table.

New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw was shot and killed after trying to stop a car on Leishman Avenue on Nov. 17, 2017. Prosecutors say Holt shot Shaw while the officer chased him.

Holt’s attorneys say their client has maintained his innocence.

The gun used to kill Shaw has never been recovered.

Luffey and Clemons testified they came home from shopping the night Shaw was shot to find Caine, Mitchell and Holt in the house. They were all acting frantic and nervous.

Both said they saw Holt bleeding from his right hand.

Luffey testified the injury appeared consistent with someone mishandling a semi-automatic gun and having the slide hit the hand.

“He was in a hurry to leave,” Luffey said of Holt’s demeanor. “He wasn’t himself.”

Clemons testified she saw Holt get into a dark car and leave. He did not come back for the next four days, which she testified was odd.

On Tuesday, Tavon Harper, who testified he sold cocaine and marijuana to Holt earlier the day of the shooting, said he picked up Holt in his ex-wife’s car.

Harper testified that, on the night of the shooting, he was driving a Jeep that Shaw tried to pull over and that Holt jumped from the car. Harper testified he did not hear the shots as he continued home.

Luffey testified he later overheard a call on speakerphone from Holt to Caine and Mitchell.

“He said he was sorry for the things he put us through,” Luffey said.

Luffey said he did not hear anything said about Shaw’s death.

Luffey testified he saw Lisa Harrington, Holt’s cousin, come to the house with a bunch of people the day after the shooting. He said she saw her leave with a brown paper bag.

Clemons, however, testified she saw Harrington leave the house with a purse and that she was not carrying a paper bag.

Clemons testified that Caine told her they had to get stuff out of the house, for which Caine had called Harrington. Clemons testified she was told Holt’s gun was in the basement, but that she didn’t see it.

Luffey said Caine asked him to give $100 to help Holt out, but he said he never did.

In the afternoon, testimony was given by Vanessa Portis and Aysa Benson, who each said they saw Holt after the shooting and drove him around.

Portis, 28, was living in Harrison in 2017. She testified she was then in a relationship with Holt, who she calls “Lip”; she said she still loves him.

The night of the shooting, Portis said Holt called her on Harrington’s phone. He said he had lost his phone, which Portis got for him and was on her plan.

Portis testified Harrington brought Holt to her home in Harrison. Holt asked her to take him to his mother’s home in Homewood, which she did. There, they watched television before getting into an argument about Portis getting a call from another man.

Portis didn’t want to take Holt back to her place, so Holt asked to be dropped off at an apartment in Penn Hills.

While Luffey and Clemons described Holt as frantic and nervous, Portis said he was calm, normal and not trying in any way to flee. Portis testified she never saw Holt with a gun and said Holt was not bleeding that night.

Portis admitted she lied to police when she told them she had not seen Holt. She said she did that because she was shaken up after officers with their guns drawn surrounded her car, in which her niece was sitting in a parking lot.

“My niece could have lost her life,” she said on the stand.

Benson, 31, was living in Duquesne in 2017 with Marcel Mason, a cousin of Holt’s. She testified Holt showed up at their home the day after the shooting; it was the first time she had seen him in six months.

That night, Benson said they saw a report that Holt was a wanted suspect in Shaw’s killing. She said Holt seemed confused by the news and a little upset, but otherwise didn’t say anything.

Benson testified she had never seen Holt with a gun or use any drugs.

Benson said she told Holt he could not stay at their home and had to leave. Benson testified she took Holt to another relative’s home in Hazelwood.

When questioned by police, Benson testified she had denied having any contact with Holt, then said she dropped him off at a bus station downtown.

Benson was then arrested and charged with hindering apprehension, and those charges are still pending against her.

A pair of jeans that Benson said were not Mason’s, along with identification and a Rivers Casino card belonging to Holt, were found in Benson’s home.

Benson said she has not been made any promises in Allegheny or Westmoreland counties in exchange for her testimony in Holt’s case.

Testimony ended with state police Sgt. Robert Negherbon, a forensic document examiner. He was brought in to verify if Holt had written to letters to Harper while both were in the Westmoreland County Jail. Those letters had been introduced into evidence on Tuesday.

After establishing his credentials as an expert in handwriting examination, Negherbon said his opinion is that Holt wrote one of the two letters.

Negherbon said he found conclusively that Holt wrote the longer, four-page letter. It it, he asks Harper to tell authorities he dropped Holt off before the shooting and that he had picked up someone else he didn’t know. And it was that person who jumped out while Shaw was trying to stop them.

In exchange, Holt says he’d take responsibility for any drugs found.

However, Negherbon said Holt probably did not write a second, single-page letter covering the same topics.

Dawson said that leaves the question now of who wrote that letter, and why.

Asked if he accepted Negherbon’s conclusions, Dawson said, “I have no choice. I’m not an expert. It’s up to the jury to evaluate it.”