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Their view: The shutdown horror show was bad, but beware the reruns

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Court Briefs

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A Hazleton man who&#8217;s been waiting for years to go to trial on homicide charges must wait several more months.</p><p>Terrence Clarke, 31, once again had his trial delayed, this time because the defense team has not yet gotten an expert report it commissioned.</p><p>Clarke, whose last known address was in Hazleton, is accused of fatally shooting Gary Cox, 45, and injuring Guillermo Quinonnes outside the since-closed Shaker&#8217;s Nightclub on North Broad Street on Feb. 2, 2014.</p><p>Investigators say a fight broke out between Clarke and Quinonnes inside the club about 2 a.m., which culminated with Clarke shooting toward a crowd.</p><p>Cox was killed by a gunshot wound to the head, while Quinonnes suffered a gunshot wound to the buttocks and survived.</p><p>Clarke was most recently set to go to trial this week on counts of homicide and aggravated assault, but it was postponed due to a motion for continuance from defense attorney Demetrius Fannick. At a pretrial conference Tuesday, Fannick said the delay was necessary, as the defense had not yet received an expert report it had commissioned on use of force.</p><p>Luzerne County Judge Fred A. Pierantoni III, who is presiding over the case, rescheduled Clarke&#8217;s trial for Sept. 16.</p><p>A final pretrial conference will occur Aug. 15.</p><p>Clarke&#8217;s trial has been tied up for years due to an appeal filed by the district attorney&#8217;s office.</p><p>Prosecutors challenged a ruling by Pierantoni that denied a request to compel Clarke to offer proof that the use of deadly force was made in self-defense.</p><p>The state Superior Court refused to hear the appeal in late 2017, claiming it did not have jurisdiction.</p><p>Pierantoni has previously told Assistant District Attorney Brian Coleman and Fannick he will hear arguments at the time of trial and outside the presence of a jury if Clarke raises a self-defense claim.</p><p>Clarke remains locked up at SCI Mercer in western Pennsylvania, having been sentenced in October 2014 to two to four years for illegal possession of a firearm. That charge comes from the same incident, but was severed from the homicide charges and tried separately.</p><p>Clarke will remain behind bars pending his homicide trial.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_Terrence-Clarke-08022018.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Clarke </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_Terrence-Clarke-08022018.jpg</photo0><caption0>Clarke </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Hazleton man’s homicide trial delayed again