Prosecutors try to link messages to murder suspect

Prosecutors on Friday presented text messages they say Rahmael Sal Holt sent after the 2017 fatal shooting of New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw, asking a cousin to destroy evidence — a pair of jeans — Holt left at his residence.

In the messages, the prosecution contends, Holt told Marcel Mason to “go up stairs get them pants i had and throw them away my ID in there...”

One of Mr. Mason’s messages back to Holt reads in part, “dnt trust nobody not even fam everybody calling me sayn ... they think u here i luv u crip i gotcha back.”

Detectives testified Friday at Holt’s murder trial in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court that the TracFone Wireless phone number Holt allegedly texted from was not registered to anyone. But prosecutors believe Holt had possession of the phone and used it to communicate with Mr. Mason.

Aysa Benson, 31, who in November 2017 lived in Duquesne with Mr. Mason, testified Wednesday that she was unaware Holt had left the jeans in her clothes hamper after he unexpectedly visited their home Nov. 18, 2017, the day after Officer Shaw’s death.

She admitted in court Wednesday that she initially lied to police about ever seeing Holt, and then about where she and Mr. Mason later took him. She said Wednesday that she had bought Mr. Mason a TracFone on Nov. 20, 2017, at his request. He told her he was going to use it to keep up with family members, and he denied that he would give it to Holt, Ms. Benson said.

Authorities found the black TracFone between couch cushions and packaging for the phone in the trash at a residence in Hazlewood where Holt was arrested. Surrounded by a Pittsburgh police SWAT team, Holt gave up without resistance in the early hours of Nov. 21, 2017.

Holt, 31, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Officer Shaw. Prosecutors say Holt jumped out of the passenger side of a Jeep Cherokee during a traffic stop and ran from the officer before fatally shooting him about 8 p.m. on Nov. 17, 2017.

Police had been searching for Holt in the days following the shooting as he went from Duquesne to Homewood and eventually to Hazelwood.

Friday marked the fifth day of Holt’s trial.

Forensic experts also testified Friday that there was “insufficient” evidence to place Holt inside the Jeep Cherokee that was involved in a traffic stop just before the rookie New Kensington police officer was shot.

DNA samples and fingerprints taken from door handles, seat cushions and the steering wheel of the Cherokee, driven by Tavon Harper, failed to confirm that Holt had been in the vehicle, witnesses said.

Pennsylvania State Police forensics expert Allison Miller opened testimony Friday. She also said evidence swabs taken from bullet shell casings found in a gravel lot

outside the City Reach Church on Leishman Avenue in New Kensington, where Officer Shaw was killed, yielded no evidence linking them to a specific person.

“There’s no scientific evidence linking this to Mr. Holt,” defense attorney Tim Dawson said to reporters after Friday’s session. “It’s pretty much based upon the location of a cellphone and the testimony of Mr. Harper.”

Prosecutors did not comment after the session.

A DNA swab taken from a brown steering wheel cover inside the Jeep produced conclusive matches to Harper alone, Ms. Miller said.

“Harper cannot be excluded” from positive DNA matches, Ms. Miller said. “There was an insufficient amount of DNA for Holt in the car.”

Detectives on Thursday also testified about samples retrieved from the Jeep that were submitted for testing; prosecutors said the results could have proven Holt was a passenger.

Swabs taken from .40-caliber shell casings found in the parking lot at City Reach Church also resulted in no matches to the defendant.

Ms. Miller did determine that the six shell casings may have been fired by the same gun, but authorities have never found the murder weapon.

Other witnesses Friday included Westmoreland County forensic detectives and Pittsburgh FBI officials who explained how .40-caliber firearms function and showed jurors how someone’s hand can be injured while firing a handgun.

Several witnesses testified earlier in the week that Holt was bleeding between his thumb and index finger sometime after the shooting — an injury that could occur while firing a weapon, officials testified Friday.