Published: January 05, 2009 11:19 pm      

Murder suspect rejects plea deal, faces trial

EBENSBURG — A Johnstown man accused of killing a Ferndale man outside the Solomon Homes in the city rejected a plea deal Monday that would have enabled him to avoid a possible life sentence in prison.

Norris Collins Jr., 19, now will face trial Feb. 9 for first-degree murder in the shooting death of 27-year-old Cortez Jordan.

Prosecutors had offered a plea bargain in which Collins would have pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 to 40 years in prison.

The prosecution would have dropped the first-degree murder charge, which, upon conviction, carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. The deal is now off the table, Assistant District Attorneys Kelly Callihan and Mike Carbonara said.

Collins’ decision pleased the victim’s girlfriend, Heather Crotzer, who has two children by Jordan – a son, Anez, 3, and daughter, Analyla, 2.

“He intentionally killed Cortez, and he deserves life in prison. Cortez will never seen his children again, and I don’t feel he (Collins) should see his,” Crotzer said.

“I pray every night that he (Collins) gets convicted of first-degree at trial,” she said. “He doesn’t realize he took away the father of two young children.”

The deal would have included Collins’ guilty pleas to two pending drug cases, with the sentences in both of them to run concurrently with the third-degree murder sentence. Prosecutors did not make a recommendation on the length of sentence.

Collins now could face up to 10 years each on the two drug cases. He will get separate trials on them. The juries are to be picked Jan. 26.

Judge Gerard Long asked Collins several times, “Do you understand you’re risking life in prison without the possibility of parole?” Each time, Collins replied, “Yes.”

Long also asked, “This is your final decision?” and Collins again replied, “Yes.”

Because of a conflict defense attorney John Kasaback now has, Long appointed attorneys Dave Beyer and John Lovettee to represent Collins in the murder case.

Jordan went to the housing complex to help his sister, Ashley, who had had a verbal argument with a neighbor while Collins was present.

Witnesses testified that Collins fired several times at Jordan, hitting him once in the chest and once in the head.

Collins fled the shooting scene and was arrested May 1 in Pittsburgh. He told reporters when he was returned to Johnstown that the shooting was an accident.

In the drug cases, Collins is accused of having two baggies of marijuana and a marijuana cigar on Feb. 8, and with selling crack cocaine to an informant March 6, both in Johnstown.