Petric Trial

ELYRIA — The lawyer for a 16-year-old boy accused of murdering his mother and shooting his father is asking a judge to declare the boy’s father a hostile witness, which would give the defense more leeway in questioning him.

Attorney James Kersey filed a petition Tuesday in county Common Pleas Court, saying that because of a story published Monday in The Chronicle, it appears the Rev. Mark Petric might have a moral conflict testifying against his own son.

He asked Judge James Burge to hold a hearing to determine where Mark Petric stands in regard to his testimony and to decide if what Mark Petric told officers after the shooting should be presented to a jury.

Neither Kersey nor county Prosecutor Dennis Will returned calls Tuesday seeking comment.

On Sunday, Mark Petric told The Chronicle that he now believes his son, Daniel Petric, was evil on Oct. 20, the day he shot and killed his mother, Sue Petric, inside the family’s home in Brighton Township.

Mark Petric also said he will no longer give prosecutors any information that will help build a case against Daniel, though he knows he will have to testify at trial.

“I’ve given them my statement, but they want to put my son in jail for life, and I’m not going to help them do that,” Mark Petric said. “I love my son. I won’t let the prosecutor ruin his future. … Danny is not a throwaway kid.”

Earlier this month, Kersey argued that Daniel wasn’t read his Miranda rights before police interrogated him in the two days after his mother’s death, so what he told them should be barred from use at his trial.

Sheriff’s deputies who questioned Daniel said the boy at first told them his parents had argued about getting a divorce and that it was his father who shot and killed Sue Petric before turning the gun on himself.

But Daniel finally admitted that he was the one who pulled the trigger, investigators said — he told them he “just snapped.”

Burge hasn’t yet ruled on whether those statements can be used.

Kersey, meanwhile, has entered a not guilty by reason of insanity plea to both counts of murder and aggravated murder on behalf of Daniel Petric.

Mark Petric said Daniel’s entire family has forgiven him for the death of Sue Petric, though Mark said he was angry and unwilling to do so until God convinced him.

The pastor, who returned to the pulpit March 16 at New Life Assembly of God in Wellington, also said he doesn’t think his son should walk free, but he doesn’t want him to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.

 

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