Testimony begins in retrial of state prison inmate accused of killing another man in Johnstown in 2017

Jun. 8—EBENSBURG, Pa. — Testimony began Wednesday morning in the retrial of a state prison inmate accused of killing another man in Johnstown when he was 16.

Mizzon Unique Grandinetti, now 21, is facing a charge of murder in the first degree in the May 1, 2017, shooting death of Barron Thomas Grumbling, 21, which occurred at the corner of Corinne Street and Merle Place in the city's West End.

In January, a mistrial was declared after two days of testimony.

Judge Patrick T. Kiniry declared the mistrial after testimony from a prosecution witness violated a pre-trial order barring statements about previous crimes or acts allegedly committed by Grandinetti.

The trial began with testimony from Johnstown police Detective Mark Britton who responded to the scene the night Grumbling was killed.

Britton testified that he arrived at the scene to find a black male with two gunshot wounds lying parallel with the sewer grate at the intersection of Merle Place and Corinne Street.

Submitted testimony from Cambria County Chief Deputy Coroner Joseph Hribar, read by Cambria County Assistant District Attorney Forrest Fordham III, indicated that Grumbling was shot twice — once in the head and once in the back — and was pronounced dead at 11:07 p.m.

According to submitted testimony from forensic pathologist Dr. Eric Vey, Grumbling died from a spinal cord injury that caused him to lose movement in his legs and blood loss from a damaged artery.

Vey, of Erie, was brought in to examine the case after the original pathologist who performed the autopsy at Forensic DX died.

The jury also heard a series of 911 calls from the night of the incident.

One male caller, who lived on Corinne Street at the time of the incident, reported hearing "three consecutive pop pop pops" from their living room.

Another caller reported hearing three shots and seeing "two kids" looking down Meridian Avenue. The caller told dispatchers that the two were juveniles in red hoodies and that they cut through his yard to Meridian Avenue.

The final call the jury heard was from Connie Kralik. At the time of the shooting, Kralik lived along Corinne Street and the murder happened near her home.

Jurors were able to see the close proximity to the intersection at the end of Corinne Street, where one could head in the area of the Oakhurst Homes or toward Meridian Avenue and the proximity to the location to Grumbling's murder.

Kralik testified that she had just walked up her stairs when she heard three clear shots in a row which prompted her to look out the window. She said that she pushed the screen out to further see out of the window.

Kralik heard one of the individuals say, "Go to the right," and headed down Meridian Avenue in the area of Edder's Den instead of to the left toward the Oakhurst Homes housing complex.

The woman testified that the streetlight across from her home was out, but when the two got to the intersection, she could see two males in red hoodies and that one was shorter than the other.

Testimony in the trial will continue Wednesday afternoon.

Check back for additional information on this developing story.