Court asked to stop marriage

Suspect seeks to wed witness against him

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The man accused of killing New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw wants to marry an important witness against him, according to a petition filed by prosecutors Tuesday in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court.

Prosecutors argued in the document that the court should intervene to stop the marriage between Officer Shaw’s alleged killer Rahmael Holt, 30, of Harrison, and his girlfriend Vanessa Portis. Ms. Portis, a key witness against Holt, previously testified that she drove him to various locations after the shooting. She also owned a mobile phone that Holt dropped as he ran from the scene of Officer Shaw’s killing, Westmoreland County District Attorney John W. Peck and Assistant District Attorney James T. Lazar wrote.

Police took Holt into custody after a four-day manhunt.

Holt’s plan to marry Ms. Portis could constitute an effort to prevent her from testifying against him, according to prosecutors, since in Pennsylvania, witnesses can refuse to testify against their spouses. The marriage would likely “bar Portis’ testimony concerning any continued private communications the two would have between their marriage and the trial,” per the court filing.

“The Commonwealth ‘speaks now,’ lest we be compelled to ‘forever hold our peace,’” the prosecutors wrote.

Mr. Peck and Mr. Lazar