WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- Relatives of a stabbing victim shouted at defendants at a hearing for a man and a teenage girl accused of homicide in Wilkes-Barre.
Reynaldo Mercado, 31, and Louisa "Alex" Reyes, 14, were at a preliminary hearing Thursday morning.
A Luzerne County judge decided there is enough evidence for Reynaldo Mercado to go to trial. He's the man accused of stabbing Fred Boote to death in his south Wilkes-Barre home in September.
The girl police say helped Mercado 14-year-old Alex Reyes gave up her right to a preliminary hearing. She's charged with second-degree murder in the case.
According to investigators, Reyes helped Mercado get into the home and gave him the knife used in the killing.
Before Mercado's hearing, we spoke with the teen's mother.
"I will talk to you guys, but not right now. OK? I can't talk right now, but I will," said Carmen Cardy, Reyes' mother, adding, "She is a very good kid."
During the hearing, one of Fred Boote's family members began shouting expletives at Mercado. The judge ordered he be removed. He wasn't arrested but police escorted him from the courtroom.
"I think it is expected for family members to be upset. I mean, it is a very serious and upsetting matter," said Mercado's attorney Allyson Kacmarski.
"Emotions, obviously, are running high, but I don't know what happened," said prosecutor Tony Ross.
Police officers, firefighters, and the county's chief deputy coroner testified during the hearing.
The prosecution says that Mercado confessed to killing Boote after he was arrested.
"I think, based upon the alleged confession, at this point, it's looking at the details. I'm anxious to see the actual videotape myself before really any determinations could be made," Kacmarski said.
"Mr. Boote was a victim of a ruthless, brutal murder and we remain committed to securing justice for the family and holding those responsible accountable for his death," Ross said
No date has been set for the trial of two accused murderers.