Man who allegedly shot wife in chest held for court
A Fairchance woman testified from a wheelchair Monday against her estranged husband, who she said shot her in the chest with her children in the home.
Dadrian Monique “Rasta” Bennett, 29, of Fairchance was held for court following the preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Michael Metros.
Melissa Uhrin testified she was hospitalized in Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia for more than a month. She is now living in a nursing facility, where she is learning to walk again after a bullet pierced her heart and lodged in her spine Oct. 8.
Uhrin said she and Bennett were fighting that morning over text messages. She said he punched her, and she left the house with her children, then ages 5 and 13.
Later that day, she said she returned to the Georges Township house with her children. She said he came inside and pointed a BB gun at her, threatening to kill her. He then allegedly put the BB gun down and took a revolver from a safe.
“He pointed it at me. He pulled the trigger once, but nothing happened,” she said.
At that time, Uhrin testified she thought Bennett was only trying to scare her. She said Bennett opened the chamber and she saw a bullet inside before he closed it. She said she turned to look at her daughter in another room to see if she saw anything, and the gun went off.
“I just heard the noise. I didn’t realize I got shot until I fell on the ground,” she said.
She testified her daughter called out to her son, saying “Rasta shot Mommy!”
Uhrin said Bennett told her he was going to leave because he did not want to go to jail. She said she told him to stay, saying she would die if he did not apply pressure to the wound on her chest.
“I told him he couldn’t leave because I would die,” she testified. “I told him I couldn’t feel my legs.”
She said she spoke to dispatchers with the phone on speaker on the floor, while Bennett remained in the room. She testified she told them it was an accident because she was afraid he would hurt her children.
Uhrin said Bennett held the towel to her wound and said he was sorry. She said he put the gun in her right hand and pointed the gun to her chest. Uhrin testified she is left handed.
Uhrin was transported to Uniontown Hospital by ambulance, and later transferred to the trauma center. She told state police at the hospital the shooting was intentional.
She said doctors initially thought they would be required to amputate her left leg because of a lack of bloodflow.
“They didn’t think I was going to make it,” she said.
Bennett stared ahead with a slight smile for the majority of the hearing. After a discussion about the legitimacy of his Visa, he turned an angry gaze to his wife. She testified she was unsure if he was granted a Visa extension. Fayette County District Attorney Rich Bower said he planned to file an additional charge after verifying whether Bennett was allowed to be in the country. Court documents indicate he is originally from the Caribbean Islands.
A misdemeanor count of terroristic threats was added to Bennett’s charges.
His private defense attorney, Jack Connor, argued his client’s most serious charges should be dismissed because Uhrin initially told dispatchers the shooting was accidental.
“Your honor, we have one witness giving two flip sides of the coin,” he said.
Metros held all charges for the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas.
Bennett is lodged in Fayette County Prison without bail. A federal detainer was issued by the Department of Homeland Security.
He is charged with criminal attempt to commit murder of the first degree, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, and two counts each of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.