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Three people charged in connection with the death of a Cairo man are expected to go to trial, with attorneys on both sides now working to determine what evidence will be admissible in court.
According to the Daily Gazette, Greene County District Attorney Joseph Stanzione confirmed the case is moving toward trial. "At this point it is expected to go to trial," Stanzione said.
The case centers on the death of Roger Pitt Sr., 69, of Cairo. His remains were discovered in a shallow grave in the backyard of his property at 34 Old State Route 145 in the early morning hours of Wednesday (November 26), after Greene County Sheriff's Office deputies executed a search warrant there. Investigators believe Roger Pitt was killed on or around October 31.
Charged in connection with his death are his son, Rodney Pitt, 46; his daughter-in-law, Tania Pitt, 43; and his granddaughter's boyfriend, Drew White, 23 — all of Cairo. All three are scheduled to appear in court tomorrow, Tuesday (February 24).
A grand jury indictment handed up on Thursday (December 4) lays out a disturbing chain of alleged events. As reported by the Times Union, the indictment alleges that Rodney Pitt and Drew White lured Roger Pitt into the home, restrained him, and cut his throat with a box cutter-type razor blade sometime between October 16 and 18. After the alleged killing, the two men are accused of burying the body in the backyard and cleaning Roger Pitt's blood from the home.
The indictment further alleges Rodney Pitt and White destroyed Roger Pitt's identifying documents — including his Social Security card and driver's license — and hid the license plates from his 1987 Mercedes-Benz inside a hole in a wall of the home. Tania Pitt is accused of helping take the Mercedes to Calvetta's scrapyard on Cauterskill Road in Catskill to have it destroyed, according to News10 ABC.
Roger Pitt was first reported missing on Monday (November 18), when family members told police he had gathered his belongings and left the area in his Mercedes. The story quickly unraveled. Rodney Pitt told investigators his father had stormed off after an argument over an electric bill. Tania Pitt claimed her father-in-law had gone on a hunting trip. Investigators found those accounts inconsistent with the evidence, which eventually led them back to the property — and to Roger Pitt's remains.
The Greene County Sheriff's Office ruled Roger Pitt's death a homicide on Monday (December 1), citing sharp force trauma to the neck as the cause of death.
Rodney Pitt and White were each indicted on one count of second-degree murder, a class A-1 felony; second-degree conspiracy, a class B felony; four counts of tampering with physical evidence, a class E felony; concealment of a human corpse, a class E felony; fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a class A misdemeanor; and sixth-degree conspiracy, a class B misdemeanor. Rodney Pitt also faces a third-degree perjury charge, a class A misdemeanor.
Tania Pitt was indicted on one count of tampering with physical evidence, sixth-degree conspiracy, and third-degree perjury. All three defendants pleaded not guilty at their arraignment. Rodney Pitt and White are being held without bail at the Greene County Jail. Tania Pitt has been released.
Stanzione said both sides are currently in the discovery phase of the case. "That's where defense counsels file all their motions and demands, and we have to respond to those," he said. "And at that point, hearings will be scheduled. There are certain statements made by the defendants and we will have a hearing to determine whether those will be admissible at trial."
The district attorney expressed confidence in the strength of the prosecution's evidence. "We work closely with New York State Police and Cairo police, and we are very aware of all the requirements of administering evidence properly," Stanzione said. "We don't suspect any evidence to be surprising."
Rodney Pitt is represented by the Greene County Public Defender's Office. Tania Pitt is represented by Linsky Lundy of Lundy Law Practice LLC, based in Newburgh. Drew White is represented by Robert White of the Law Office of Robert J. White, based in Cornwallville. None of the defense attorneys responded to requests for comment.
A charge is not a conviction. All persons listed are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.