Spring trial likely for Leroy shooting

One suspect will plead guilty, said a defense source. The trial of the three suspects charged with the attempted murder of Patrick Leroy will likely take place before the College senior graduates in May, Assistant District Attorney Jodi Lobel said. Leroy's shooting on September 25 -- after he tried to flee a robbery at 40th and Locust streets -- came on the heels of a rash of armed robberies on or near campus that month, shocking the University community and prompting officials to reexamine campus security measures. Lobel said the trial date will be announced at a hearing January 30 or February 3. Suspects Albert Bandy, Christopher Crawford and Christopher Jones have the option of entering a plea at one of those sessions, which are primarily for the attorneys to exchange information. A source close to the defense said Jones, the last suspect arrested, intends to plead guilty -- but not necessarily before the trial starts. "If they come in on the 30th and say they want to plead guilty, they can do it then," Lobel said, noting that she believes Jones might plead guilty. She added that Crawford and Bandy have not yet indicated how they will plead. Crawford, of Wilmington, Del., allegedly fired the shot that wounded Leroy in the lower back. Leroy returned to classes after spending one week at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia Police first arrested Crawford as he drove near the Philadelphia International Airport less than an hour after the 2:20 a.m. robbery. Five days later, police arrested Bandy, of West Philadelphia, but both suspects posted bail soon after their arrests and were released. But October 8, Philadelphia Police rearrested Crawford and Bandy, charging them with robbing a University student at gunpoint earlier that night at 46th Street and Baltimore Avenue, as well as with robbing a bar at 52nd Street and Girard Avenue. Jones, also a West Philadelphia resident, turned himself in to Philadelphia Police October 17. Since that day, the attorneys and suspects have undergone preliminary hearings and arraignments and are currently in pretrial hearings. University Police Detective William Danks said the case is essentially "in limbo" right now, while Louis Priluker, Crawford's court-appointed attorney, said the defense is now waiting for the trial to begin and for information regarding the investigation. Priluker declined to comment on whether Crawford would plead guilty, citing attorney-client privilege. Susan Burt, Jones' court-appointed attorney, said her client had less involvement in the shooting than the other suspects. "He's certainly the least culpable of the three people and the least sophisticated," Burt said.

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