WILKES-BARRE — Two out of three people accused of criminal homicide for an alleged ambush fatal shooting in Wilkes-Barre have hired new lawyers.
Attorney John B. Pike took over from Attorney Allyson L. Kacmarski to represent 19-year-old Kadeen Karon Carruth, and Attorney Demetrius W. Fannick replaced Attorney Mary Theresa Maran of Philadelphia to defend 27-year-old Yamir S. Grayson.
Kacmarski recently left her position as a county conflict defense lawyer and is now working as an assistant district attorney with the Luzerne County district attorney’s office.
The appointment of new defense lawyers was announced during a status conference before Judge David W. Lupas on Wednesday.
Carruth, Grayson, and Breanna Marie Knight, 27, who is represented by attorneys James J. Scanlon and Sidney D. May, are accused of shooting and killing Elijah Rivers, 22, on North Meade Street on Jan. 30, 2023, according to court records.
Rivers passed away at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township.
Court records show that Knight drove Carruth and Grayson in a white Ford Focus to North Meade Street. While they were waiting, Rivers appeared at a residence and was shot and killed before they drove away.
.40-caliber and .45-caliber shell casings were found by police at the scene.
City police detectives used multiple pieces of surveillance footage before and after the shooting, which depicted the movements of Knight, Grayson, and Carruth as testified during the preliminary hearing held in December.
During the preliminary hearing, a witness stated that Knight complained they had killed the wrong person known as “Eli.”
A trial set for Aug. 19 may need to be rescheduled because one of the defense lawyers will be out of town for a family wedding. Lupas mentioned that he will consider a new trial date at a later time.
The prosecution is being handled by assistant district attorneys Carl Frank, Daniel Mulhern, and Rachel Spivack.
Carruth, Grayson, and Knight are all facing charges of criminal homicide and two counts of criminal conspiracy to commit criminal homicide. Carruth and Grayson also face charges of carrying firearms without a license.
