Trial of Leon Platt

After 11 hours of deliberation over Wednesday and Thursday, the jury found defendant Leon Platt guilty of third-degree murder. Platt, 28, of Rochester, is accused of murdering Richard Hogue, 28, just after 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 16, 2013 in an apartment on 411 Loop St. in Ellwood City. Lawrence County Judge J. Craig Cox is hearing the case, Assistant District Attorney Thomas Minett is prosecuting and defense attorney John Bongivengo is representing Platt. Although the prosecution pushed for a first-degree murder charge, the jury ultimately decided on third-degree. Per Pennsylvania law, murders in the third-degree are committed with malice but…

[This is Part 3 in a series covering the homicide trial of Leon Platt. Parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here.] Update April 14, 8:30 a.m.: The defense called no witnesses and the jury began deliberations yesterday afternoon. They will reconvene today. Platt, 28, of Rochester, is accused of murdering Richard Hogue, 28, just after 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 16, 2013 in an apartment on 411 Loop St. in Ellwood City. Lawrence County Judge J. Craig Cox is hearing the case, Assistant District Attorney Thomas Minett is prosecuting and defense attorney John Bongivengo is representing Platt. On…

[This is Part 1 in a series covering the homicide trial of Leon Platt. Parts 2 and 3 can be found here and here.] After six days and over two dozen witnesses, the prosecution rested its case yesterday afternoon in the murder trial of defendant Leon Platt. Platt, 28, of Rochester, is accused of murdering Richard Hogue, 28, just after 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 16, 2013 in an apartment on 411 Loop St. in Ellwood City. It’s the first murder trial in Ellwood City since 1980. Lawrence County Judge J. Craig Cox is hearing the case before a jury of…

[This is Part 2 in a series covering the homicide trial of Leon Platt. Parts 1 and 3 can be found here and here.] After six days of testimony and over two dozen witnesses, the prosecution rested its case in the trial of Leon Platt. Platt, 28, of Rochester, is accused of murdering Richard Hogue, 28, just after 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 16, 2013 in an apartment on 411 Loop St. in Ellwood City. It’s the first murder trial in Ellwood City since 1980. Lawrence County Judge J. Craig Cox is hearing the case before a jury of seven men…

Update: The trial was post-postponed until Monday because a juror fell ill. The trial of a man accused of a November 2013 homicide in Ellwood City is scheduled to begin today. Leon J. Platt, 28, of Rochester, is charged with the murder of Richard Hogue, of Enon Valley, at a residence on Loop Street in Ellwood City. Judge J. Craig Cox will preside over the trial. According to previous EllwoodCity.org articles, Hogue, Platt and several others were in an apartment on 411 Loop St. on the morning of Nov. 16 when Platt fatally shot Hogue. A prosecution witness, Taylor Foley,…