Suspect held for trial in Baldwin man’s death
Adam Rosenberg pleads not guilty
Adam Rosenberg stood stoic and attentive as he learned that all of the charges against him connected with a killing would be held for trial at his preliminary hearing on Friday.
After hearing facts, testimony from two witnesses, and arguments from attorneys representing Mr. Rosenberg and the Commonwealth, District Judge David Barton decided that Mr. Rosenberg would face all charges relating to the Feb. 15 killing of Baldwin Borough resident Jeremy Dentel.
Mr. Rosenberg, 21, is accused of killing Mr. Dentel, 28, with a gunshot to the head after the two connected on a dating app. In addition to the homicide charge, Mr. Rosenberg is facing one count of robbery, one count of carrying a firearm without a license and one count of tampering with evidence.
“It wasn’t unexpected; there were some charges we were hoping to get dismissed,” one of Mr. Rosenberg’s attorneys, Casey White, said after the hearing. “But we’ll get more evidence as time progresses, and we look forward to examining that further.”
Mr. Rosenberg’s attorneys said during the hearing that their client would plead not guilty.
During the hearing, prosecutor Alex Cashman called Allegheny County Police Detective Darren Gerlach, who responded to the scene at Mr. Dentel’s house on Feb. 15, and Allegheny County homicide Detective Laurie McKeel, who arrested Mr. Rosenberg on Feb. 20, to testify.
Detective McKeel said that although police were unable to recover Mr. Dentel’s phone, his iPad was set up to mirror his phone’s messages, which allowed them to determine that a phone number registered to Kimberly Rosenberg, Mr. Rosenberg’s mother, was the last to communicate with Mr. Dentel on Feb. 15. When Detective McKeel went to the Rosenberg home in Fox Chapel to inquire about it, she said that Mr. Rosenberg admitted that the number belonged to his cellphone within minutes of speaking to him.
Detective McKeel said that Mr.
Rosenberg was arrested less than 15 minutes after voluntarily agreeing to ride with her and her partner to the Fox Chapel police station.
Family and friends of Mr. Dentel, as well as the parents of Mr. Rosenberg, where present at the hearing. There were audible sighs of relief from Mr. Dentel’s family when Judge Barton gave his decision.
“[Mr. Rosenberg’s parents] are heartbroken,” Mr. Rosenberg’s other attorney, Wendy Williams, said. “They’re heartbroken for their own family, and they’re heartbroken for the Dentel family. Obviously, they never thought that they’d find themselves in this position.”
Mr. White said that Mr. Rosenberg understands that he could be facing life in prison and is taking things “one day at a time.”
On March 3, police discovered human remains on a parcel of public land directly across from the Rosenberg home. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified those remains as Christian MooreRouse, 22, of Verona, and declared his death a homicide by gunshot to the head.
Mr. Rosenberg and Mr. Moore-Rouse were friends, according to Mr. MooreRouse’s family. No one has been charged in Mr. MooreRouse’s death.
“[Mr. Rosenberg] hasn’t been charged in that yet, so I think it would be premature for us to speculate,” Ms. Williams said.
Mr. Rosenberg’s and Mr. Dentel’s families either could not be reached or declined to comment.