Jul 10, 2008 3:43 pm US/Eastern
Prosecution, Defense Rest In Sen. Regola Trial
GREENSBURG (KDKA) ―
Closing arguments begin Friday in the trial of a state lawmaker from Westmoreland County.
State Senator Robert Regola III is accused of perjury and improperly storing a handgun that ended up in the hands of his 14-year-old neighbor who shot himself.
Regola's conflicting stories about ownership and storage of a 9mm handgun used by 14-year-old neighbor Louis Farrell to commit suicide in July 2006 were at the heart of Thursday's testimony.
Initially after the shooting, the senator told a state trooper that he used to keep the pistol in his son Bobby's room and that it was later moved to the master bedroom because of concerns about a stranger camping in woods near the Regola home.
Then at the inquest seven months after Farrell's death, the senator testified under oath that "Bobby did not have a 9mm or any gun," and that the gun was always kept in his office in the master bedroom.
Then the jury heard from David Depetris, the senator's brother-in-law. Depetris is in the process of divorcing Regola's sister Brenda. He testified that at a Christmas family gathering the senator gave his son Bobby the 9mm Taurus handgun as a present along with a box of shells. Depetris said he was surprised because he thought it was an inappropriate gift for a teenager.
Defense attorney Charles Porter, Jr., questioned Depetris about whether his being a prosecution witness was because his wife had filed a PFA against him.
Porter also wanted to know if Depetris gave his 2-year-old daughter a bib embroidered with the message: "I'll get even."
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