Darion Abel told a police officer he had "just shot my girlfriend 17 times" after allegedly fatally shooting his teenage partner at her home, a judge in Pennsylvania heard Monday as his long-delayed jury trial opened in Pittsburgh.
Assistant District Attorney Alexa Roberts told jurors that Abel, then 20, "opened fire on [girlfriend] Miranda Grimm-Gilarski at close range and did not stop shooting until the gun was empty," adding, "A person does not shoot another individual 17 or 18 times without intending for that person to die." The slaying occurred on Nov. 17, 2018, in Munhall, a borough outside Pittsburgh.
According to a criminal complaint and the account presented by prosecutors, after the shootings Abel drove to the Munhall Police Department, approached Officer Jason Poniewaz and told him he was there to turn himself in. When Poniewaz asked what he was turning himself in for, the complaint says, Abel replied, "Murder. I just shot my girlfriend 17 times," and indicated the pistol was on the front seat of his car.
Police said Grimm-Gilarski's body was found in her living room with multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators recovered projectiles from ductwork in the basement and found holes in the floor beneath the victim's body, which prosecutors say indicate Abel continued firing after Grimm-Gilarski had fallen. Abel was charged with homicide, burglary and carrying a 9 mm pistol without a license and has been held without bail since his arrest.
The relationship between Abel and Grimm-Gilarski had been marked by violence, prosecutors said. The two assaulted each other multiple times during their year-long relationship, including an incident on Oct. 30, 2018. Prosecutors say Abel received a notice to appear in court related to that assault on the day of the killing. After an argument over the phone, Abel retrieved a 9 mm pistol, loaded it and drove to Grimm-Gilarski's home while the two continued to argue, the complaint says.
Prosecutors said Abel kicked in the locked door, found Grimm-Gilarski in the living room and, when she raised a hand and said "No," fired. Abel later told police he could not remember the events beyond hearing "a bang," the complaint reports.
Abel, now 27, has remained in custody since his 2018 arrest. His trial has been rescheduled nearly 20 times since 2019, court records and media reports show, contributing to the delay before jurors began hearing opening statements Monday.
Defense attorney Patrick Thomassey told jurors he was not contesting that Abel fired the shots but asked them to find his client "guilty but mentally ill." Thomassey said he will call a psychiatrist who evaluated Abel in 2022 and again in April of this year to testify about the defendant's diminished capacity at the time of the shooting.
Prosecutors said they will call multiple witnesses, including Officer Poniewaz and Grimm-Gilarski’s stepsister, who was 11 years old at the time of the killing. The testimony is expected to focus on the events leading up to the slaying, the shooting itself and the defendant's statements to police following the incident.
The case has drawn attention in part because of the brutality of the alleged assault and because of the repeated trial delays. Court officials have not provided a specific reason in open records for each postponement, and the judge overseeing the trial has not yet set a date for closing arguments or sentencing guidelines, which would depend on a verdict and any subsequent proceedings addressing mental health findings.
The charges against Abel carry significant penalties if he is convicted of homicide. Under Pennsylvania law, a conviction on first- or second-degree murder would carry the most severe punishments; a guilty but mentally ill finding could affect sentencing and post-conviction mental health treatment options. The trial is expected to continue with witness testimony in the coming days.