Man Guilty of 2nd-Degree Murder

It took a single .22 caliber bullet to kill Kevin Battista on the early morning of December 7, 2006 in the Bloomsdale-Fleetwing section of Bristol Township. On Friday – eight years later –  it took a jury of 12 to decide the fate of the man who shot him.

At the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown after hours of deliberation and a week-long trial, 26-year-old Ckaron Handy was found guilty of second-degree murder by a jury.

Deputy Bucks County District Attorney Christopher Rees, who prosecuted the case with Antonetta Stancu, said Handy was not convicted of first-degree murder, but was found guilty of robbery and possession of weapon.

Bucks County Judge Wallace Bateman Jr. deferred sentencing for a few weeks.

Handy shot 30-year-old union machinist Battista while trying to take $60 from the father of two who was looking to score some drugs at the intersection of intersection of  Mitchell Road and Airacobra Street. Authorities have described Battista as a recreational drug user who entered the Bloomsdale-Fleetwing neighborhood in search of his girlfriend, who he thought he saw drive into the section. At the time of the shooting, he was with Tiffany Calvanese of Levittown.

Throughout the week of testimony,  Handy’s defense raised questions about the credibility of witnesses brought up by the prosecution. Several of those who testified did not witness Handy shoot Battista and/or received reduced sentences for their cooperation in the case.

“Defense attorney Michael Goodwin said he was disappointed and planned to appeal,” Philly.com reported.

On Monday, authorities charged Kyle Page with perjury after authorities say he lied about witnessing the murder. A check with the county jail showed Page was in the Doylestown prison at the time of the shooting and could not have been a witness. Page was originally set to be a witness at the trial.

Testimony from several investigators on the stand stated the .22 caliber pistol used to shoot Battista likely was used in April 2007 when James Williams shot Eric Doggett, 29, of Trenton, to death in Bristol Township. Williams was sentenced five to 20 years in prison several years ago after he was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

According to the Doylestown Intelligencer, Williams admitted on the stand this week that he got the .22 caliber gun used to shot Doggett from Handy.

A former Fleetwing-Bloomsdale drug dealer testified he saw a man he believed to be Handy fire a gun at Battista’s red Ford pickup truck.

A former drug addict claimed several years ago that Jarrel Hopkins shot Battista. However, she later stated she didn’t recall too much from that night due to being on drugs. Bristol Township Police Detective Timothy Fuhrmann testified in court the woman’s statements following the shooting were not always credible but did offer new leads for investigators.

Detectives worked the case for six years before Handy was charged in 2012. He already has a federal conviction under his belt and has a criminal record. Due to lack of witness cooperation in the murder investigation, county prosecutors had to use a grand jury to compel some witnesses to speak in 2009.

Family and friends of Battista followed the trial closely all week.

The jury for Handy’s trial was made up of nine men and three women.

Editor’s Note: The name of two witnesses have been removed at the request of prosecutors and the victim’s family.