The trial of a Johnstown man charged with the murder of Barron Grumbling, who was shot to death in May 2017 in the Oakhurst area of Johnstown, is underway.
Prosecutors with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said in opening arguments Wednesday that Mizzon Grandinetti shot Grumbling in the head and back to get back at a group who had robbed his cousin. They said they will show that Grandinetti said “I figured it was a good opportunity” to shoot him when the group was walking away from the Oakhurst Homes and Grandinetti stopped to tie his shoes.
Prosecutors also said his ex-girlfriend will testify this week that he admitted to her that he shot Grumbling a year later.
Grandinetti was charged with murder by a Statewide Investigating Grand Jury in 2020.
Prosecutors showed the crime scene and played 911 calls from that night.
Detective Mark Britton from the Johnstown Police Department testified Wednesday how they eventually learned about Grandinetti’s role from Daekwon Coleman, who was arrested moments after the shooting and is in jail on a separate case. He’s expected to testify later this week.
The defense spent the day questioning Coleman’s credibility, given they argued he is hoping to get out of prison, that he was being threatened with conspiracy to commit homicide in Grumbling’s death, and that he’s lied before about who may have done it.
They also pushed back on who was seen in red sweatshirts running away from the scene.
Testimony showed one was Coleman, but a gun he had did not match with the evidence in the case. The investigator said Coleman’s story, after he initially lied to investigators, was credible because he knew things that weren’t out publicly.
The trial will resume Thursday morning it’s expected to last through Friday.
