A Washington County man will stand trial in the killing of another man in New Kensington nearly three years ago.
Larry Osborn Nix II, 41, of West Brownsville, waived his formal arraignment Wednesday at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in connection with the fatal shooting of 31-year-old James Michael Hayes.
Investigators said Nix was standing in the parking lot of the Kensington Arms Apartments on 11th Street in New Kensington on Dec. 9, 2022, when he allegedly opened fire on Hayes, who later died from his wounds.
A grand jury was convened in Westmoreland County last year, and Nix was charged on March 14 with homicide, attempted homicide, possession of a prohibited firearm and reckless endangerment. Online court documents indicated he was arrested March 21 and went before District Judge Tamara Mahady, who sent him to the Westmoreland County jail without bond due to the homicide charge.
Court records were apparently sealed for 60 days and not made public until some point after his June 25 preliminary hearing with District Judge Frank Pallone Jr., who ordered Nix to stand trial on all charges. The criminal complaint and other court documents are apparently now available for public inspection at the Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts office at the courthouse.
Nix appeared Wednesday before Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears and waived the formal reading of the charges. Shortly after Nix’s formal arraignment, the Westmoreland County district attorney’s office issued a press release with information on the case.
District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said it was the first grand jury in Westmoreland County in three decades.
“I commend the relentless efforts and diligence of our prosecutors and investigators who spent countless hours presenting testimony and evidence to our panel of grand jurors,” Ziccarelli said. “This is the grand jury’s intended purpose: to bring a resolution to unsolved major crimes and hold someone accountable, and I am proud that we were finally able to get answers for the family of Mr. Hayes.”
New Kensington police are the lead investigating department on the case. It was not immediately known if any other suspects were charged in the killing.
Nix’s defense attorney Jaclyn Shaw could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
