Jury selection is scheduled for today for three cases in Indiana County’s court of common pleas, including a man charged in connection with the death of a fellow IUP fraternity brother in 2017.
25-year-old Brady DiStefano of Johnstown is charged with aggravated assault in connection with the death of Caleb Zweig that happened on February 3rd of that year. Police said the two were involved in a fight, and Zweig later died at Indiana Regional Medical Center. Charges of criminal homicide and aggravated assault were dismissed in late 2017 by then-President Judge William Martin, who said that there was a lack of evidence for both charges, but State Superior Court overturned the ruling on the aggravated assault charge in October of 2018, reinstating that charge. After that, Martin ruled that the jury could not hear evidence that DiStefano’s role in the fight lead to Zweig’s death, nor could it hear testimony from a forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy. Those were also overturned at the State Superior Court level.
The other cases that are up for jury selection today include:
- 25-year-old Jamal Davis of Reinholds in Lancaster County. He is charged with assault and aggravated harassment by a prisoner for an incident in August of 2019.
- 27-year-old Tiffany Anne Blattenberger of Greensburg, who is charged with DUI and related crimes for an incident in August of 2020.
Trials for DiStefano and Davis are set for tomorrow, while Blattenberger’s trial is set for March 23rd.
