Man thrown out of court at trial, now thrown out of court at sentencing
March 20, 2015- Commonwealth v Russell Weathers: On March 20, 2015, Judge Lewis sentenced Russell Weathers to a term of incarceration for 9-20 years on the charge of aggravated assault. On February 11, 2015, a jury found Weathers guilty of causing serious bodily injury to his then girlfriend, who suffered fractures to her face and nose, as well as a concussion. At the sentencing proceeding, Weathers refused to stop interrupting the court and others as they spoke, and had to be physically removed from the courtroom before the sentence was handed down. The prosecution requested a sentence above Weather’s guidelines which went up to 72 months. Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Hartlep pointed out the physical and mental abuse that the victim endured over a period of time, as well as the complete lack of respect that Weathers has demonstrated throughout this process, down to the very minutes before his sentence as he was again carried out of court. In support of the upward departure, President Judge Richard A. Lewis commented that the evidence in this case was that of "a domestic violence horror story". He also cited the multiple occasions that Weathers was disruptive during both pretrial proceedings and jury trial.
This case is a credit to the hard work and determination of Dauphin County Detective Brian Jackson who worked especially hard after the case was first dismissed at the preliminary hearing level for the victim’s failure to appear. Detective Jackson re-filed the case and worked persistently to locate the actual victim, to secure her appearance, as well as locate a witness to the assault. Although the victim was initially uncooperative, the case was able to move forward with the testimony of the eye witness. Over time while the defendant was incarcerated, the victim gained the courage to come forward to the District Attorney’s office regarding the circumstances of the assault and the abuse that she endured over time. From this information, the prosecution located additional evidence including a past 911 call and prison phone calls which added to the case against Weathers. Deputy District Attorney Hartlep commented, "This case should serve as encouragement to domestic violence victims that you can leave your abuser, and that person can be punished. There are dedicated people in the justice system who can help you reach a position that allows you to move forward in life without your abuser."
