Accused killer wants statements withheld

Harleyville man charged in Norristown home invasion

The lawyer representing a man accused of participating in the gunshot slaying of another man during a home invasion robbery in Norristown argues statements he gave to detectives should not be heard by a jury because they were not properly obtained by authorities.

Brandon M. “B-Dubb” Thompson was not provided proper Mi

randa warnings despite being in custodial detention when he was questioned by Montgomery County detectives on Aug. 31, 2019, about the alleged April 2, 2019, gunshot slaying of Alonzo J. Anthony of Norristown, defense lawyer Carrie L. Allman maintained in court documents.

“Mr. Thompson seeks to suppress the entire contents of his conversation with police as he was not provided Miranda warnings, was in police custody, was subjected to interrogation and was directly asked questions about an ongoing homicide investigation which were designed to elicit an incriminating response,” Allman wrote.

Additionally, Allman argued, Thompson was under the influence of drugs at the time of the statement, “and was noted to be yawning during the encounter,” and “his decision to speak with detectives was not the product of a knowing, intelligent and voluntary choice.”

Allman also suggested Thompson’s statement should have been video or audio recorded in its entirety to capture Thompson’s reactions to questions and to shed light on his mental and physical state at the time.

Pennsylvania courts do not require taped confessions, unlike some other states. But Allman argued there is no reason to not record a statement when the ability to do so exists.

“Of particular concern should be the current policy of Montgomery County which has the means to record statements in their entirety but chooses to only provide portions as a signed statement and does not provide a recorded audio or video of the interaction,” Allman argued.

Assistant District Attorney Roderick Fancher III will have the opportunity to respond to Allman’s requests when Judge Gary S. Silow holds a pretrial hearing on the matter later this year.

In his statements to detectives, Thompson admitted knowing Anthony but claimed he had never been inside Anthony’s residence and that although he did not remember where he was on April 2, he claimed he was not in the area of Anthony’s residence on the night of the homicide, according to the criminal complaint.

Thompson, 33, who listed addresses in the 100 block of Main Street, Harleysville, and the 300 block of James Street, Norristown, is awaiting trial on charges of first-, second-, and third-degree murder, burglary, robbery, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, possessing an instrument of crime and person not to possess a firearm.

An investigation began about 10:53 p.m. April 2 when Norristown police responded to a report of “gunshots and screaming” at an apartment in the 300 block of East Fornance Street, according to a criminal complaint. Officers found Anthony, 28, in an apartment hallway, dead from gunshot wounds.

An autopsy determined Anthony died as a result of multiple gunshots. A projectile was recovered from Anthony’s head, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective William Mitchell and Norristown Detective David Mazza.

A woman who resided with Anthony was present during the alleged home invasion robbery, according to detectives. The woman told detectives two masked suspects entered the apartment and fired gunshots, striking Anthony.

The alleged intruders fled from the residence with cash, marijuana and a cellphone, according to the criminal complaint.

Detectives recovered two fired and one unfired 9mm caliber cartridge casings at the scene. Detectives also collected video surveillance footage from the area of the crime scene, according to court papers.

According to the surveillance footage, within a minute of the 911 call, one suspect was observed running from East Fornance Street onto Green Valley Road along a fence line and then onto westbound Wood Street. Three minutes later, a second suspect was observed running in the same direction along the fence line and then across a parking lot to Wood Street, according to the criminal complaint.