A Fayette County man accused of fatally shooting his estranged wife's lover wants a judge to suppress any statements he made to police before he was advised of his Miranda rights.
Raymond "Mike" Prinkey, 49, of Normalville, Springfield Township, is charged with the Oct. 19 killing of James M. Cononico.
Cononico had just moved into a Connellsville apartment with Prinkey's wife, Lori, who worked at the State Correctional Institution at Somerset. They met at the prison, where Cononico was incarcerated until August.
Lori Prinkey has testified that she witnessed the shooting.
Less than 20 minutes after the incident, Prinkey called state police to say that he had shot Cononico, according to state police at Uniontown. Prinkey's attorney, David S. Shrager, contends the defendant made statements while he was "under duress and coercion."
Upon his arrest at 7:02 a.m., about 45 minutes after the shooting, state troopers read Prinkey his rights, according to court documents.
Judge Ralph C. Warman has scheduled a hearing for July 17.
Prinkey has been free on $100,000 bond since late January. District Attorney Nancy Vernon is seeking a first-degree murder conviction.
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