Strip club manager gets prison for murder of Delco man
PHILADELPHIA >> A former strip club manager who murdered an Upper Darby man with a punch to the head in 2009 was sentenced to 7½ to 15 years in a state prison Thursday.
John Pettit, 55, of Pennsauken, N.J., was found guilty in June on charges of third-degree murder, conspiracy and reckless endangerment in the beating of Jimmy Koons and his friend, George Foreacre III, on Oct. 16, 2009.
At trial, jurors watched a 20-minute video compiled from security cameras at the Oasis Gentleman’s Club on Passyunk Avenue depicting Pettit and several bouncers initiating a confrontation with Foreacre inside the club, then dragging or carrying both men outside.
Koons, 31, of the Secane section of the township, was dumped on the sidewalk outside the club’s front doors, where Pettit could be seen kicking him repeatedly.
The club’s owner, nowdeceased Robert Laflar, arrived while Foreacre and Koons were still in the parking lot. Laflar is seen punching Foreacre in the face as bouncers file outside, but much of the action is obscured in video surveillance by Laflar’s Humvee.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Levenberg said another scuffle ensued, during which Pettit landed the fatal blow that put Koons in a coma from which he never awoke. Koons died Nov. 2, 2009, leaving behind two young children.
The video ends with Pettit on his knees by the power switch to the recording equipment after a monitor was removed from a desk in the club’s office. There is a nearly five-hour gap in the playback before video returns showing Detective James Dunlap standing in the office.
Pettit was convicted on charges of making false reports, hindering apprehension and conspiring to tamper with evidence after an initial trial in October 2012, but that jury could not reach a verdict on third-degree murder, conspiracy or reckless endangerment charges.
Pettit entered open pleas in 2014 to third-degree murder and aggravated assault, but was allowed to withdraw that plea last year and move for a new trial.
Defense attorney Charles A. Peruto had argued this was a “one punch case” involving self-defense, but the jury rejected that argument and found Pettit willfully and maliciously attacked Koons and Foreacre.
Levenberg argued Thursday that Pettit never showed any remorse for his actions, instead moving to cover up the assault by attempting to dismantle the club’s video system. He also introduced evidence Thursday that Pettit at one point attempted to concoct a story that he believed Koons had a gun.
Several of Koons’ family members offered victimimpact statements, including two young nieces who said they were too young to have more than a handful of solid memories of their uncle. Others noted Pettit’s own children, now aged 10 and 9, were also too young to really know their father and will now never have that pleasure.
“It was Jimmy’s dream to have a family,” said his mother, Kathy Brady. “That was something he finally achieved. Unfortunately, it was only for three short years.”
Brady described the torment she felt at learning her son’s condition and the excruciating days that followed as she and other family members watched over his body, kept alive only by machines.
Brady said she no longer feels like she has a purpose in life and does not feel like she can attend family functions or holidays with her son gone. She has been in counseling, is taking medication and still has nightmares, she said.
Koons’ brother-in-law, Joe Mazza, said the blow Pettit struck reverberated through the entire family, throwing them into chaos. All have been irrevocably changed while grieving for Koons in their own ways, he said.
“We are all serving life sentences in the prison that Mr. Pettit placed us in,” said Koons’ father, Jim Koons. “I will never be the same again. I have a big, empty hole never be filled.”
Peruto noted about half of the packed court room was there in support of Pettit, with an overflow crowd of about a dozen in the hall. Many had written Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven R. Geroff on Pettit’s behalf describing him as a kind and generous man, Peruto said. The judge pointed out that many others in court had said the same of Koons.
Nicole Kozak, daughter of Pettit’s fiancé, also testified to Pettit’s selflessness and humor, calling him a better father figure than any of her friends ever had. A longtime friend also testified that the picture the prosecution painted of Pettit that can was “ridiculous.”
Pettit, who sobbed throughout Brady and Kozak’s testimony, also took the stand and claimed he was acting in self-defense in the parking lot. He said Koons came at him with arms raised, ready to fight, but Pettit hit him first. He said he did not know the severity of that blow until later.
“Jimmy Koons didn’t deserve what happened to him that day. He didn’t,” said Pettit. “I’m truly sorry for what I did to Jimmy. I really am. And I apologize for the immense amount of hurt I’ve caused you.”
“I hope his words were sincere,” said Koons’ sister, Michele Mazza, after the hearing. “I really, truly hope he’s sorry.”
The judge said he was heartbroken by the case. While he said he believes Pettit is remorseful, he said it was also obvious he attempted to tamper with the surveillance equipment.
“Mr. Koons is not here to tell me what he says really happened that day,” said Geroff. “I know the defendant has told me. The jury has spoken. The jury said it is third-degree murder. I need to sentence the defendant in accordance with that crime.”
In addition to prison time, Pettit will serve 10 years of consecutive probation. Geroff also recommended that he undergo grief counseling while in prison. No restitution was requested.