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TJ Maxx to reopen in Arena Hub Plaza on Nov. 18

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Battle for the House tests Trump, GOP hold on Congress

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A Fairmount Township man learned Tuesday he&#8217;ll spend at least four-and-a-half years in state prison for a deadly shooting inside his home.</p><p>Keith Michael Williams was sentenced to 54 months to nine years in prison for the shotgun slaying of Brock Earnest inside Williams&#8217; residence on Old Tioga Turnpike on Jan. 11, 2017.</p><p>A Luzerne County jury convicted Williams, 42, of voluntary manslaughter after a week-long trial before Judge David W. Lupas in August.</p><p>Lupas sentenced Williams, who was awarded 664 days credit for time served at the county lockup.</p><p>Assistant district attorneys Michelle Hardik and Justin Richards prosecuted Williams, arguing for a first- or third-degree murder conviction. Williams&#8217; attorneys, Demetrius Fannick and Christine Marie Trout, sought acquittal.</p><p>State police said Williams and Earnest, 40, of Montandon, were involved in a fight when Williams retrieved a shotgun from a bedroom and shot Earnest in the chest. </p><p>Forensic pathologist Dr. Gary Ross, who performed the autopsy, testified the shotgun blast left a circular hole nearly 2.25 inches in diameter in Earnest&#8217;s chest. Based on the wound, Ross felt the barrel of the shotgun was 2.5 feet to 6 feet from Earnest.</p><p>During the trial, Williams&#8217; then-girlfriend Diedre Depiero testified she invited Earnest to the home after Earnest claimed he had mouth cancer and felt he needed to be with someone. Depiero and Earnest met in a psychiatric facility.</p><p>Depiero told jurors Williams and Earnest were fighting but she characterized it at first playful before getting out of hand.</p><p>Depiero claimed she separated the two men, and Earnest sat on a couch while Williams retrieved a shotgun.</p><p>Williams testified he was not in favor of inviting Earnest to the house because Earnest claimed he spent 17 years in prison.</p><p>After firing the shotgun outside together in an attempt to make Earnest feel welcome, Williams told jurors Earnest started beating him.</p><p>Williams said he felt defenseless and later grabbed the shotgun in self-defense.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_Keith-Michael-Williams-08142018-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Williams </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_Keith-Michael-Williams-08142018-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Williams </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Fairmount Township man gets four-and-a-half to nine years in deadly shooting