Accused killer on trial Monday
NORRISTOWN >> A Pottstown man accused of fatally shooting his former girlfriend, who reportedly was seeking a paternity test and child support from him, has his jury.
A jury of seven women and five men was selected in Montgomery County Court on Friday to weigh the fate of Bobbie “Steels” Mitchell Jr., 37, who is accused of the Easter Sunday 2018 gunshot slaying of Siani Overby, 23, of Pottstown.
Mitchell, wearing a dark, grey suit, showed no emotion during the sometimes tedious selection process and did not comment about the makeup of the jury as he was escorted from the courtroom by sheriff’s deputies.
Deputy District Attorney Samantha Cauffman, coprosecutor Richard Bradbury Jr. and defense lawyer Evan Hughes also selected three alternate jurors who will be called upon to deliberate only if some of the original 12 jurors can no longer fulfill their duties.
Judge Todd D. Eisenberg, who will preside over the trial, told jurors to return on Monday at 9 a.m., when lawyers will give their opening statements and begin calling witnesses to testify.
The trial is expected to last about four days.
Mitchell faces charges of first- and third-degree murder, possession of a prohibited firearm and possession of a weapon in connection Overby’s death.
A conviction of first-degree murder, an intentional killing, carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. A conviction of thirddegree murder, a killing committed with malice, carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.
Mitchell remains in the county jail without bail while awaiting trial.
An autopsy determined Overby suffered three gunshot wounds, to the leg, chest and head.
The homicide investigation began when Pottstown police responded to the 300 block of Johnson Street at 1:58 a.m. on April 1, 2018, for a report of a woman screaming and shots fired. Officers arrived to find Overby, suffering fatal wounds from multiple gunshots, lying on the sidewalk next to a fence.
Detectives found a cellphone next to the victim’s legs. It was later determined to belong to Mitchell and revealed text messages between Mitchell and the victim less than an hour before her murder, according to court papers.
The victim’s mother allegedly told detectives that Mitchell was the father of the victim’s 18-month-old son and that her daughter was seeking a paternity test and child support from Mitchell.
Mitchell fled from the Pottstown area after the killing and was captured April 3 in Waterbury, Conn. Mitchell was arrested by members of the U.S. Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department, according to court documents.
During a search of the vehicle that Mitchell was driving at the time of his arrest, detectives found $119,900 cash in the trunk.
According to court papers, Mitchell allegedly told detectives he was involved in the sale of “high grade marijuana” and has “drug connections” that he referred to as the “cartel.” Mitchell allegedly claimed the cash found in the trunk was proceeds of his illegal drug sales, according to court papers.
Prosecutors alleged Mitchell fatally shot his former girlfriend because he feared she would alert police about his illegal drug dealing and firearm selling if he didn’t agree to pay child support.
Testimony at a pretrial hearing revealed, for the first time in August, that a subsequent paternity test determined Mitchell was not the father of the child.