Oct. 31—WILKES-BARRE — The trial for corrections officer Osmel Martinez, who is accused of failing to respond to a deadly inmate fight, entered its second day with revelations about a secretive plea agreement and misleading media information. The trial, taking place at the State Correctional Institution in Dallas, Jackson Township, took a perplexing turn as shackled inmate Nafese Antoine Pierce, a key witness, testified about Martinez’s involvement in the incident.
According to Pierce, Martinez assigned him the task of scheduling phone calls for inmates in G-Block, with payment in the form of food items from the prison’s commissary. Inmates were required to pay $5 for phone usage during peak hours after 5 p.m., and Martinez apparently favored potato chips and summer sausages as payment.
Pierce recounted a specific incident on Jan. 28, 2021, when Martinez called him from his cell after catching inmate Edgar Gearhart using a phone without paying. After a heated exchange, Martinez refused to let Pierce work for him and Pierce asked if he could fight Gearhart. Pierce then proceeded to engage in a fight with Gearhart, leaving his cell only after Gearhart threatened that the fight wasn’t over.
According to Pierce, he obtained a weapon from another inmate and returned to Gearhart’s cell, stabbing him in the neck. Following the stabbing, Pierce informed Martinez, who callously laughed and shrugged off any responsibility, stating that he wouldn’t be doing any paperwork.
During Pierce’s testimony, it was revealed that he had entered into a sealed plea agreement on Friday, wherein he pleaded guilty to third-degree murder for killing Gearhart. As part of the agreement, Pierce was required to testify against Martinez in court and would receive a prison sentence of 12-to-24 years. The details of this agreement were unsealed on Tuesday.
Assistant District Attorneys Jarrett Ferentino and James McMonagle, the prosecutors in the case, questioned Pierce’s account. Pierce admitted that he initially denied any involvement in Gearhart’s murder when questioned by investigators from the Pennsylvania State Police, even suggesting that the stabbing may have been gang-related. Pierce also confessed that he and Martinez had devised a false story about Gearhart falling from a top bunk to explain his injuries.
The scrutiny of Pierce’s plea agreement continued as Martinez’s co-defense lawyer, Paul Walker, questioned the significant reduction in Pierce’s sentence. Walker emphasized that a typical third-degree murder plea carries a sentence of 20-to-40 years in prison.
This ongoing trial before Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky has captivated attention with its perplexing twists and revelations. Martinez faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice, and unsworn falsification to authorities.
Pierce’s sentencing for his third-degree murder conviction is scheduled for Nov. 8.
