Evening star., 1960-06-02
Judge Rejects
Coleman Plea
BY CARL IRVING
Star STAFF Writer


plicated each other in a liquor
store holdup that resulted in
the fatal shooting of a police
man, a detective testified today.
When the brothers con-
fronted each other at police
headquarters, William Coleman
exclaimed:
You're not going to lay the
shooting off on me-" 1t. Ed
ward A Daley of the Homicide
Squad told District Court
Judge F. Dickinson Let's.
Jury Sent Out
The judge heard the officers
account of the confessions af-
ter sending the jury out while
he determined whether the teS-
timony was permissible evi-
dence.
| The brothers are accused of
numbering Pvt. Donald Brere-
ton while committing a felony,
robbery.
1t. Daley said Raymond
Coleman then showed him
where he had hidden a loaded
pistol he had used in the
holdup. but had not fired, to
prove that he had not shot
the policeman.
William Coleman had pre-
viously confessed to participat-
ing in the holdup and had ac-
cuSed his brother of having
worn an Army fatigue cap that
was found near the body of
the policeman.
Plea Turned Down
William Coleman today tried
to plead guilty to the robbery
charge, but Judge Let's turned
him down. He said it was in
appropriate and that the jury
should decide both the robbery
and the murder charges.
Earlier, a man testified that
he discovered a pistol which
turned out to have been the
dead officers in an alley near
the residence of William Cole
man, in the 1400 block of Bel
mont street NV. The witness,
Orval j. Anson of Falls
Church, said he was dis
mantling an old car when he
found the service revolver
under a seat the day after the
officer was fatally shot.
Yesterday, the jury was told
William Coleman dropped
mis- head and cried" when his
girl friend told him a wounded
policeman brought to the hos
pital where she worked had
died.
The woman, Miss Louise Pitts
of the 1900 block of Euclid
street NV, testified as a wit
ness for the Government. y
II asked him why he did a
thing like that. He said he
didn't know he had killed a
man. He dropped his head
and cried" Miss Pitts testified.
The Government charges
that the Colemans took $197
at gunpoint from a liquor store
at sol Florida avenue NV. last
January 7. In a subsequent
chase, Pvt. Brereton was fatally
wounded and his partner seri-
ouSly injured in a nearby alley.
Called on Meeting
Miss Pitts testified that Will
liam Coleman. her boy friend
for 5l2 years, called her on
the phone that night after she
came home from her clerical
duties at the Washington Hos
pital Center. He asked her to
meet him outside her home, she
told the jury.
He told me. baby, I'm in
trouble I asked him what was
wrong. He asked If I'd made
an addressograph plate on a
policeman. I told him the po-
liceman was dead"
Miss Pitts testified that she
drove with the Coleman broth
ers and Raymond's wife, Eliza
beth, to a newsstand to pick
up a morning paper.
William had said he couldn't
pick up his car because it was
parked near the alley and that
he had been in a liquor store
holdup, Miss Pitts testified.
After reading the paper with
out any comment, she said,
William sent her to ring the
doorbell Of his home in the
l4OO block Of Belmont street
NV. to find out if police were
looking for him. The door was
opened and she was taken into
custody, she said.
She admitted that she did
mot tell police that William was
waiting for her dn,rr, tho stAnet