A man accused of shooting five people and
killing three in a violent rampage in Wilkinsburg was ordered to
stand trial in those killings on Tuesday.
Ronald Taylor, 39, is accused of killing a
handyman at his apartment in the Pittsburgh suburb before shooting
four others at two fast-food restaurants on March 1.
District Justice Alberta Thompson ordered Taylor to stand trial
after hearing from a series of witnesses who testified seeing
Taylor make threats and shoot the victims during the spree.
Police also presented writing found in Taylor's apartment in
which he expressed hatred for whites, Asians, Jews, Italians, the
government, the news media, America and Jesus Christ.
A separate note to his family said that Taylor planned to
commit suicide because of his longstanding health problems and his racist white doctors, WTAE-TV's Ted Koppy reports.
An Allegheny County judge earlier this month ruled Taylor
competent to stand trial.
But Taylor's lawyer said that his client has a history of mental
illness and does not understand the charges against him nor does he
remember any of the crimes he is accused of committing.
At Tuesday's preliminary hearing on homicide charges, a woman said
that Taylor sought refuge briefly in her home after the shootings at the
restaurants.
Christine McCrae said that Taylor told her he would not
hurt her because he was only interested in hurting white people.
After the shooting, police said that they found hate writings in the
apartment belonging to Taylor. All of the victims
were white.
Also Tuesday, handyman Mike DeWitt -- who was one of the people
working at Taylor's apartment before the shootings -- said that Taylor
accused him of being a racist. Taylor is accused of shooting
another handyman, John Kroll, at the apartment before walking off
to the restaurants.
Taylor later barricaded himself in a building before
surrendering to police.
Police say Taylor flew into a rage March 1 over a broken door at
his apartment in the eastern suburb of Wilkinsburg. He is charged
with setting fire to the apartment, fatally shooting a maintenance
man there, and shooting four more people at nearby fast-food
restaurants.
Writings found at Taylor's home expressed hatred for whites,
Jews, Asians, Italians and others, police said. Taylor has said he
has a history of mental illness.
The hearing was delayed for several months after Judge Jeffrey
A. Manning ruled in April that Taylor was incompetent to stand
trial when psychiatrists for the prosecution and defense said
Taylor needed time to adjust to medications for paranoid
schizophrenia.
Manning then ordered Taylor to be placed in Mayview State
Hospital for treatment.
In ruling that Taylor is now competent, Manning read new reports
from those psychiatrists that say Taylor is competent as long as he
keeps taking his medication.
Mayview psychiatrist Usha Gopalani testified Taylor understands
more than he claims.
Defense attorney James Ecker said after that hearing that he did
not believe Taylor contrived any mental illness.
"He knows who I am, he knows who the judge is, but that's about
all he understands about this case," Ecker said.
Manning ordered Taylor to keep taking medication and remain at
Mayview, where he will receive supervision to ensure he continues
to be competent to stand trial.
The judge ordered a coroner's inquest to be scheduled in the
case. Ecker waived the requirement that it be scheduled within 10
days, and said he expects it to be held within a month.
Taylor's brother, Chuck Taylor, a minister at a Baptist church
in the city, said he would be at the hearing along with other
family members.
"It will be very difficult," he said. "But we trust in the
Lord that everything will be fine."
Taylor is scheduled to be formally arraigned Sept. 25.
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