New attorneys to defend homicide suspects

WILKES-BARRE — Two of three defendants facing criminal homicide charges for what prosecutors allege was an ambush fatal shooting in Wilkes-Barre have new attorneys.

Attorney John B. Pike replaced Attorney Allyson L. Kacmarski to represent Kadeen Karon Carruth, 19, and Attorney Demetrius W. Fannick replaced Attorney Mary Theresa Maran, of Philadelphia, to defend Yamir S. Grayson, 27.

Kacmarski recently resigned as a county conflict defense lawyer and is now an assistant district attorney with the Luzerne County district attorney’s office.

The change of defense lawyers was announced during a status conference before Judge David W. Lupas on Wednesday.

Carruth, Grayson and Breanna Marie Knight, 27, who is represented by attorneys James J. Scanlon and Sidney D. May, are charged with fatally shooting Elijah Rivers, 22, on North Meade Street on Jan. 30, 2023, according to court records.

Rivers died at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township.

Court records say Knight drove Carruth and Grayson in a white Ford Focus to North Meade Street. As they waited, Rivers showed up at a residence and was fatally shot before they sped away.

Police recovered .40-caliber and .45-caliber shell casings at the scene.

City police detectives used numerous pieces of surveillance footage before and after the shooting showing the travels of Knight, Grayson and Knight, according to testimony given at the preliminary hearing held in December.

During the preliminary hearing, a witness testified Knight complained they killed the wrong “Eli.”

A trial date of Aug. 19 may be rescheduled as one of the defense lawyers will be out of town for a family wedding. Lupas said he will entertain a new trial date at a later time.

Assistant district attorneys Carl Frank, Daniel Mulhern and Rachel Spivack are prosecuting.

Carruth, Grayson and Knight are each charged with criminal homicide and two counts of criminal conspiracy to commit criminal homicide. Carruth and Grayson are further charged with firearms not to be carried without a license.