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Charges held for court against women involved in work shirt dispute

By Olivia Goudy ogoudy@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read

A Uniontown woman faces additional counts for her charges of attempted criminal homicide following testimony during her preliminary hearing Wednesday.

Kenyetta Lewis, 23, was originally charged with one count each of attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.

Assistant District Attorney Michelle Kelly asked that an amendment be made to increase each charge to six counts after several family members and witnesses testified.

Lewis allegedly shot into a crowd of people on Ashley Street in South Union Township on July 22, according to testimony by witness Cianna Jo Reilly.

Reilly told the court that she got into an argument over her work T-shirt with a friend around 3 p.m. that day. The argument began again around 10 p.m. after Reilly told the court she confronted a mutual friend for speeding on their street.

The argument escalated and a large group of people formed outside of Reilly’s home on Ashley Street, according to testimony by several witnesses.

Another co-defendant, Kayla Farrar, 26, was part of the argument and allegedly made threats.

Reilly’s mother, Amy Rigger, testified that she and Farrar fought frequently and that she wasn’t threatened by Farrar’s remarks that she was going to “have PC (Pershing Court) come down ‘ere and blow this place up.”

Several witnesses testified that Lewis came to the scene and shot at least 12 rounds into the crowd. Nobody was reported to have been hit by the shots. Lewis’s defense attorney Jason Taylor said it was “laughable to believe that testimony.”

One of the bullets allegedly struck the neighboring home of Chris Ashton. He told police that a bullet hit and shattered a window in his living room, approximately two feet from his four children, ages 11, 10, 7 and 3. It was because of their proximity that Kelly asked that Lewis’s reckless endangerment charges be increased to 10.

Taylor argued that the charges should be dismissed because there was no specific intent to kill anyone. Kelly, however, said the intent was solidified by the number of shots fired and the positive identification.

Magisterial District Judge Richard Kasunic II granted the amendment and asked that all charges be held for common pleas court.

In all, Lewis faces one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, six counts of attempted criminal homicide, six counts of aggravated assault, and ten counts of recklessly endangering another person.

Farrar’s defense attorney Dianne Zerega, and Taylor, asked that their clients’ bail be reduced, to which Kasunic denied. Both bails are currently set at $100,000. Lewis and Farrar will remain lodged in the Fayette County Prison.

Charges against a third co-defendant, Cornell “Nizz” Neal, 26, of Uniontown, were dismissed in July.

Farrar and Lewis are scheduled to appear before court on Oct. 15 for their formal arraignment.

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