Published: December 03, 2008 09:51 pm      

Video shows murder suspect buying hacksaw

EVERETT — Security video taken inside and outside the Bedford Wal-Mart show John Lewis Gerholt Sr. purchasing a hacksaw minutes before authorities say he used a sawed-off shotgun to murder his wife.

A Bedford County district judge rejected the argument by Gerholt that the incident was an accident after the gun went off on its own.

District Justice Brian Baker ordered Gerholt to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder.

Gerholt, 38, has been in Bedford County Jail since the Nov. 9 shooting of Karen Gerholt in the parking lot of the McDonald’s where she was employed.

The 24-year-old Hopewell woman left behind three children, authorities said.

Gerholt pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include all degrees of murder and manslaughter, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats, possession of an offensive weapon and two other gun-related charges.

At the urging of court-appointed defense attorney Thomas Dickey, Baker dismissed a second-degree murder charge because a felony crime was not committed as part of the slaying.

Trooper Terry Summers said the video from the Wal-Mart – which is located to the rear of the McDonald’s in Snake Spring Township – shows Gerholt returning to his truck after buying the saw. It shows Gerholt spending some time at the vehicle, then shows him driving closer to the McDonald’s, where he is seen running into the parking lot.

“I saw a guy running up through the parking lot as fast as he could,” McDonald’s customer Willard Clark of Everett testified.

He appeared to have a gun as he ran toward a woman at the front of the lot.

“I heard a shot, then I heard another shot,” Clark said.

Trooper John P. Brown, the first to arrive on the scene, testified that he saw Gerholt kneeling over the woman who was bleeding profusely from her chest, stomach and mouth.

“He was lying over her,” Brown said. “He said, ‘I shot her, I shot her, I shot her by accident.’ ”