Aug 17, 2006 By Josh Krysak 3 min read

The mother and sister of a Uniontown man accused of homicide will have their day in court after they allegedly intimidated witnesses in the homicide case. Prior to a preliminary hearing for Jason Matthew Leichliter, 27, who is charged with the shooting death of Thomas “Tommy” Wilson, his mother, Barbara Elle Leichliter, 46, and his sister, Kelly Marie Leichliter, 23, both of Uniontown, waived charges to court regarding their cases.

Barbara Leichliter waived all charges against her to Fayette County Court and Kelly Leichliter waived reduced charges against her before Magisterial District Judge Joseph George.

The women were charged with four counts each of intimidation of a witness and obstruction of law enforcement before Magisterial District Judge Joseph George Jr. in July.

Kelly Leichliter reached an agreement to reduce her charges to four counts of obstruction of law enforcement, officials said.

All charges against Jason Leichliter, including criminal homicide, were held for court on Wednesday, after he allegedly shot Wilson, 29, of 255 Elm Road, Uniontown, five times during a dispute at 10:50 p.m. July 4 in the Bierer Wood Acres housing project in South Union Township, according to state police.

State police trooper Charles Morrison said both women tried to intimidate at least three prosecution witnesses on several occasions in the weeks following the arrest of Jason Leichliter.

According to the criminal complaints, on July 18 both women approached several witnesses who live in Bierer Wood Acres and threatened them regarding potential testimony during Leichliter’s preliminary hearing.

“If you testify in the criminal homicide case, you and your family are going to get hurt,” Barbara Leichliter told one witness, according to Morrison. “Your kids are going to get sliced.”

“If you testify in the homicide case, when you have your daughter outside at 6:30 a.m., I am going to slice her and you,” Kelly Leichliter told the same female witness, Morrison said.

Morrison said both women also threatened that two other eyewitnesses, Walter Myers III and David Burton, both who testified against Leichliter Wednesday, would go to prison “so Jason can shank them.”

A shank is a homemade knife.

Following the alleged intimidation attempts, Morrison obtained an arrest warrant for the women. Morrison said several days later another call reporting intimidation by the two women was received, and state police and Uniontown police were dispatched to Bierer Wood Acres.

Uniontown police Patrolman Thomas Kolencik and Detective Jason Cox were able to track Barbara and Kelly Leichliter to a 52 Nutt Ave. residence, where they were taken into custody without incident.

Barbara Leichliter remains in the Fayette County Prison on $20,000 bond. Kelly Leichliter posted bail, police said.