Emotional Morning Inside Philadelphia Courtroom As Double-Murder Trial Involving Teenagers Begins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It was an emotional morning inside a Philadelphia courtroom Tuesday. Today was the start of a double-murder trial where the defendant, and the two people killed, are all teenagers.
The accused killer, Brandon Olivieri, is now 18 years old. He was 16 at the time of the shooting, and so were his alleged victims.
During opening statements, the prosecutor made it a point to say the victims' lives were taken from them before they even started.
"This is the year he was supposed to graduate, he's supposed to be going to his prom," Aishah George said.
George was overcome with emotion when talking about her son, Caleer Miller, who was taken from her too soon.
"He was a great kid. He was an excellent kid," George added.
Miller is one of two victims who prosecutors say Olivieri gunned down in October 2017 at 12th and Ritner Streets in South Philadelphia.
The other victim, Salvatore DiNubile, was a student at Saint Joseph's Prep.
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Prosecutors say he had gotten into a fight with Olivieri before the shooting. But today, Olivieri maintained his innocence at the start of his double-murder trial.
Prosecutor David Osborne was tight-lipped outside the courthouse, but during his opening statement, said Olivieri went to seek revenge when he shot and killed DiNubile.
As for Miller, a student at Mastery Charter School, he was not Olivieri's intended target.
"I don't know why anyone would want to purposely hurt my son because he never did anything to hurt anyone," George said.
Olivieri's attorney argued during his opening statement prosecutors never recovered the gun and also lacked forensic evidence.
But prosecutors and the victims' families have no doubt Olivieri is guilty of murder.
"It's really just heartbreaking to have to see him and know that he's the person who's responsible for taking my cousin's life," Miller's cousin, Danae Mitchell, said.
If convicted of first degree murder, Olivieri could spend his life in prison.
