MERCER — DaShawn Watkins, a 29-year-old Sharon man, will face trial in the June 23 death and dismemberment of 14-year-old Pauly A. Likens Jr., a transgender female.
Following a preliminary hearing that lasted more than four hours Thursday at the Mercer County Courthouse, Sharon District Judge Travis Martwinski ordered Watkins to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence.
He was also held for court on additional charges of a general count of murder and a felony count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.
Likens, of Sharon, died of six sharp force trauma wounds to the neck, investigators said. Pauly's body was cut into pieces, some of which have yet to be recovered more than a month later.
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Watkins, who was charged by the Pennsylvania State Police, was returned after the hearing to the Mercer County Prison where he is being held without bond.
The defendant, who wore an orange prison jumpsuit, was in court Thursday morning, seated at the defense table with Vincent Nudi, an assistant public defender for Mercer County. Watkins has pleaded not guilty.
The hearing over Pauly's death, which has drawn media attention from across the United States, was held in the larger Mercer County Common Pleas courtroom, instead of the district judge's office, because of space and security considerations, said Stacey Wilatec, spokeswoman for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
More than 60 people attended Thursday's hearing, including about 15 reporters and photographers from news organizations.
Pauly, who who last was seen by her family on June 22, was reported missing to Sharon police on June 25. That same day, portions of her dismembered body were found around the Shenango River Lake north of Sharon.
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The basis for the charges
According to the criminal complaint against Watkins, filed July 3, police believe that he killed Pauly after they met using Grindr, an app used by some in the LGBTQ community.
According to court documents, police were led to Watkins through cellphone records, surveillance video and blood found in Watkins' apartment.
Mercer County District Attorney Peter Acker, who was in court Thursday, had declined to pursue hate crime charges. Two assistant district attorneys, Kendra Strobel and Andrew Acker, handled the preliminary hearing. Andrew Acker is the son of the district attorney.
Members of the Shenango Valley LGBTQIA+ Alliance, which advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning and queer community in Mercer County, were among those present in court Thursday.
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This is a developing story. Return to GoErie.com and the Erie Times-News for updates.
Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com .
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Sharon man faces murder charges in death, dismemberment of 14-year-old transgender girl
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