Accused Bonner-Prendergast shooting planner heads to trial
UPPER DARBY » The student charged with threatening to shoot up Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School waived his preliminary hearing to push the matter forward to the county Common Pleas Court.
An-Tso “Edward” Sun, 18, originally from Taiwan, was in district court before Magisterial District Judge Ann Berardocco Wednesday morning to make the waiver in his first court appearance since his arraignment on March 27 on one count of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another. Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland later added a possession of an instrument of crime with intent to employ criminally.
Sun, a foreign exchange student who was residing with a host family in Upper Darby, allegedly told a fellow student at the Drexel Hill school to not come to school on May 1 because he was going to shoot it up, but that he was only kidding about the comment.
Sun’s attorney Robert Keller on Wednesday afternoon said the reason his client waived a hearing on the two charges is because the District Attorney’s office is “in agreement with the potential for Sun to plead on the terroristic threat charge.” Keller also mentioned that the possession charge is expected to be withdrawn by the D.A.
“They have to show intent,” he said. “Merely possessing … in and of itself in your house is not a crime. The government must prove the intent to use it for an illegal and criminal reason.”
The instruments may refer to a handmade 9mm handgun, a crossbow, and over 1,600 pieces of live ammunition found by Upper Darby Police during their initial investigation. On the ammunition, Keller said they were left over from when Sun and his parents went to a shooting range back in January. Buying rounds at the shooting range is more expensive than buying them online Keller said, and that the purchase for some of those bullets were put on Sun’s parents’ credit card.
When Keller demonstrated this to the D.A.’s office there appeared to be a level of understanding on the cache.
“There was never any intent to do harm to anybody,” he said.
Copeland could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Keller added that he is considering Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition for his client, but doubts the D.A. will agree to it. He said Sun did fine on an evaluation conducted at the county prison as part of a condition of bail and that full psychiatric evaluations are upcoming that will put off some fears about his client.
The experience has been a “major learning curve” for Sun, he said.
“Our assessment is that he’s a naïve, immature young man who didn’t appreciate that words matter,” said Keller. “He’s sorry he embarrassed his parents and his country. He understands the ramifications of all that’s occurred.”
Sun has been scheduled for a formal arraignment in county court May 23.