An accused Lansdale killer does not want his confession heard by a jury because he was under the influence of fentanyl.
According to
The Reporter, Preston Alvin Lonnberg-Lane, who allegedly killed his father by stabbing him with a butter knife, confessed to detectives 10 hours after allegedly snorting two bags of fentanyl. However, Assistant District Attorney Brianna Ringwood argues that Lonnberg-Lane was fully capable of understanding his Miranda rights and waiving them.
Lansdale detectives Joel Greco and Chad Bruckner agreed, testifying on Monday that when Lonnberg-Lane gave his original statement, his answers were coherent and logical and he did not exhibit the nodding-off or other characteristics associated with fentanyl or other opiates.
Judge Wendy G. Rothstein will determine at a later date if the confession was obtained legally and can be presented to the jury, or if it needs to be thrown out.
According to the
Times Herald, on March 27 Lonnberg-Lane allegedly attacked his 74-year-old adoptive father in his sleep after snorting fentanyl, and used the knife to cut his father’s eye out. Lonnberg-Lane called police, saying that he had attempted to kill everyone in the house. His father, Thomas Lane, was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in critical condition and died two days later.
According to the Mercury, Lonnberg-Lane was charged with first- and third-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime. Though conviction of first-degree murder could result in the death penalty, Montgomery County prosecutors informed the judge that he would instead face prison time if convicted.
Lonnberg-Lane’s trial is set to begin Jan. 28, 2019 and is expected to take five days to complete.
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