All charges against a Lansdale man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend in April were held for trial following a preliminary hearing Friday morning in front of Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine.
Christopher Scott Moore, 21, will be formally arraigned on Aug. 9 at county court on charges of first, second- and third-degree murder, in connection with the April 17 shooting death of 21-year-old Wesley Wayne Smith, of Philadelphia. Moore is also facing charges of burglary, criminal trespassing, and possession of a weapon, court records show.
The preliminary hearing lasted a little over 30 minutes, with prosecutors relying on testimony from county Detective Anthony Case and Lansdale Police Officer Joseph Gary to support the charges, according to a report from Carl Hessler Jr. at the Reporter.
Moore is being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility without bail.
Lansdale Borough Police were dispatched to the Walnut Arms Apartments along the 400 block of Walnut Street at 11:09 p.m. for a report of a shooting. Arriving police found Smith dead on the floor of the master bedroom, and Moore suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Moore was airlifted from the scene to Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia.
Investigators said Smith was visiting his girlfriend at her apartment when Moore, who is the father of the woman’s children, allegedly broke into the apartment through a bathroom window, entered the bedroom and began shooting. Smith then returned fire before succumbing to his injuries, police said.
Two firearms and multiple fired shell casings were recovered at the scene, according to the release. An autopsy of Smith’s body was conducted by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, which determined he died as a result of sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Smith’s manner of death was listed as homicide.
Investigators said that in the 11 months prior to the shooting, police had been dispatched to the apartment seven times for domestic incidents involving Moore and the mother of his children, including a call for assistance less than two weeks before the shooting. The criminal complaint can be read here.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Lansdale Man Charged with Murder in Death of Ex-Girlfriend’s New Boyfriend [UPDATED]
Lansdale Shooting Victims Identified, Details Released in Fatal Shooting
Overnight Shooting in Lansdale Leaves 1 Dead, 1 Injured [UPDATED]
