Pocono News Section

Murder case heading to trial

Murder case heading to trial - Monday, December 15, 2008 at 4:30PM EST

A Wilkes-Barre man is heading to trial for gunning down a teenager.

25 year old Josue Faureles is charged with killing 19-year-old Christly Aristide.

Monday morning, a judge said there's enough evidence to put Faureles on trial for murder.

Faureles’s defense attorney says police have the wrong guy.

The gun used in this murder was never recovered by investigators.

Wilkes-Barre police detective Ron Foy says, "We don't arrest people unless we're 100 percent sure. It's not worth the time or putting an innocent person in jail."

On October 30th, police say Faureles shot and killed 19 year old Christly Aristide on Moyallen Street.

3 bullets hit Aristide, killing him almost instantly.

An off-duty police officer says he saw Faureles ride off in a car after the shooting.

Police say Faureles and Aristide may have had an argument before the murder.

The gun was never found.

Faureles's defense attorney, Demetrius Fannick, says police don't have enough proof.

Fannick says, "No one actually saw my client fire any of the shots, there were other people present. In fact there was a witness presented today who said she saw another person flee from the scene. So I really don't think they've established. No gun's ever been found."

But police say Faureles was reluctant to have his hands tested for gunshot residue.

Tests were taken and those results will be available at the trial.

Faureles is locked up in the Luzerne County jail.