Preliminary Hearing Set for Gay-Bashing Suspects

Attorneys for Kevin Harrigan, Kathryn Knott, and Phillip Williams, the three suspects in the attack on two gay men in Center City on September 11th, attended a status hearing in court this morning to pick a court date for their preliminary hearing.

The preliminary hearing date was set for December 16th, at which point the case will be brought before a municipal court judge to determine if there was probable cause to arrest the suspects. Attorney for Kevin Harrigan, Josh Scarpello, tells me, “we won’t decide the truth of the matter in that first hearing. It is a probable-cause hearing to establish if the case should go to trial.”

Scarpello confirms that all three defendants have pleaded not guilty.

District Attorney’s office spokesperson Tasha Jamerson tells me chief assistant district attorney of the central unit, Michael Barry, is prosecuting the case. During the preliminary hearing he will present all evidence, and the judge will hear testimony from witnesses, police, and the complainants and defendants. “The judge will listen to both sides and determine if there is enough to hold them to trial,” Jamerson says.

If the case goes to trial — and if no plea bargain is reached — Scarpello suggests that there might not be a trial date until well into the new year. “The earliest would be February or March,” he says. “If it’s scheduled to be a jury trial, it could take even longer.”

Williams (24), Harrigan (26), and Knott (24) are charged with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault, two counts of recklessly endangering another person (REAP), and one count of criminal conspiracy.

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