The Roundup

A weekly tab of what's
going on in the courts.

Adam O'Donnell

By Shealyn Kilroy
For BigTrial.net

Philadelphia District Attorney:
Another Philadelphia police detective is facing charges. Philadelphia police detective Adam O’Donnell was scheduled, 43,  for a preliminary hearing on April 22 after allegedly assaulting a man and breaking his leg while he was on-duty on Feb. 3, 2015, according to the District Attorney’s office. O’Donnell was escorting Theodore Life Jr., 45, outside of the Special Victims Unit headquarters building at 300 E. Hunting Park Ave and allegedly kicked him once in the knee. Life fell to the ground, and O’Donnell allegedly forced him into an unmarked police car and took him to a random location. The nine-year veteran of the force is charged with aggravated assault, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, and official oppression.

Aaron Fitzpatrick

A South Philly man was sentenced to to life in prison for the first degree murder of his pregnant girlfriend and for the third-degree murder of the unborn child in August 2015. Aaron Fitzpatrick was scheduled for sentencing again on April 21, according to the District Attorney’s office. According to the docket, Fitzpatrick’s life sentence for the third degree murder of an unborn child was reduced to 20 to 40 years in prison. The rest of the sentences did not change.

Fitzpatrick shot Tiffany Gillespie, 24, after announcing she was five months pregnant with his child in 2012. Gilespie’s body was discovered by her mother in the basement of their home on the 2300 block of South Mildred Street. "I didn't want to argue with her, so I shot her in the head and left," Fitzpatrick's statement reads, according to Philly.com. The jury found Fitzpatrick guilty of first degree murder, third-degree murder of the unborn fetus, and related gun charges.

Gloucester County Courthouse: 

Sr. Kimberly Miller

A Philadelphia nun was convicted of DUI on April 20 in Gloucester County, according to Philly.com. Sister Kimberly A. Miller, 41, does not remember the four hours between going to bed St. Veronica’s, a North Philadelphia convent where she lives, and ending up handcuffed at the Washington Township police station in New Jersey. Miller, a theology teacher and librarian at Little Flower High School for Girls in Philadelphia, had claimed she was at a book fair earlier that day where she had “two small glasses of wine.” However, her blood alcohol level was .16, twice the legal limit for New Jersey. Miller and her lawyer claimed that the sister had been “sleep driving,” under the influence of medication and not alcohol. Clearly, the judge rejected that claim.

New Jersey Attorney General: 

Lawrence Durr

The former mayor of Chesterfield Township in New Jersey pleaded guilty to a third-degree charge of conspiracy to tamper with public records, according to the Attorney General’s office. Lawrence Durr, a former committee man and planning board member as well as ex-mayor, bought a farm for $2 million and then sold it to a developer at a prearranged price that allowed Durr to get his money back and make a profit of$372,500.

Renaissance Properties Inc., bought the developing rights for the 104 acre farm in 2005 from Durr to build homes, apartments, and small commercial uses at the location.By the end of the scheme, Durr’s farmland ended up with a value of $500,000 plus the $372,500 profit. Durr was scheduled for a trial on this charge in two months. Under the plea deal, Durr will face four years of probation. If Durr acts up, he’s going to spend 364 days in the Burlington County jail.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania:
Martha Stanley was charged with stealing her dead grandmother’s benefits on April 19, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Stanley, 47, of Philadelphia had been receiving her grandmother’s retirement benefits from the time of her death in June 2005 to March 2014. During that time, Stanley stole approximately $102,126 in Social Security payments. If found guilty, Stanley could see 75 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, restitution to the government of $102,126, another possible fine, and a $500 special assessment.

Shealyn can be reached at shealyn@bigtrial.net