Murder suspect waives hearing
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By Amanda Stewart
Published: March 19, 2008
One of three people charged in the February shooting death of 20-year-old Joseph Christopher Page waived his right to a preliminary hearing during a brief appearance in Prince William General District Court Tuesday.
Jose Obed Escobar, 20, of no fixed address, is charged with first-degree murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
Those charges will be considered by the grand jury on April 7. If the grand jury indicts him, a trial date will be set in Prince William Circuit Court.
Two others, John Matthew Moran, 22, of 8574 Yearling Court in Gainesville, and Shannon Leigh Smerbeck, 20, of 4601 Tullamore Estates Road in Gainesville, have been charged in connection with the murder, which happened around 12:43 a.m. Feb. 3, at a house party in the 7500 block of Alleghany Road near Manassas Park, Prince William County police said at the time.
Police said that Moran and Escobar were involved in a fistfight and were kicked out of the party.
Later, Moran, Escobar and Smerbeck returned to the party and began shooting at a group of people on the back porch of the house, police said at the time.
Page was hit by a bullet during the shooting and died of his injuries four days later at an area hospital, police said.
According to police, Page was not involved in the fight and he and the others on the back porch of the house had gone outside to smoke.
Moran and Smerbeck face the same charges as Escobar: murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
Smerbeck is scheduled to appear in General District Court for a preliminary hearing on April 30; Moran’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 8.
Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.
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Posted by ( intheknow ) on April 14, 2008 at 3:01 pm
The three individuals in this case are cold hearted and insensitive to what they have done. They killed an innocent barely 20 year old that had nothing to do with them. Joseph didn’t have a choice in his future, they took his life away from him! They are spoiled thug want-to-be’s. They have no idea the torture this innocent by stander had to go thru to only lose his life senselessly in the end. WHY????
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