MERCER — A nearly five-hour preliminary hearing in Mercer County Thursday left unanswered questions about the final hours of 14-year-old Paul A. "Pauly" Likens Jr., of Sharon.
Meanwhile, verbal sparring among family members outside the courthouse raised questions about the gender identification of the murder victim, who has been widely reported to have been a transgender female.
The ruling by Sharon District Judge Travis Martwinski seemed to come as a surprise to no one.
He ordered that DaShawn Watkins, a 29-year-old Sharon man, stand trial on charges of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence in the death and dismemberment of the teen.
He also ordered Watkins to face trial on two additional charges that Assistant District Attorney Kendra Strobel added in advance of the hearing: a general count of murder and a felony count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Strobel said the second count was related to the young age of the victim in this case.
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Manner of death
Mercer County Coroner John Libonati, the prosecution's first witness, said Pauly was killed by a series of six sharp-force trauma wounds to the head and neck.
What no one could explain, including a series of Pennsylvania state troopers called by the prosecution, was why.
But in a courtroom crowded with sheriff's deputies, out-of-town media and family members, the death of his child wasn't the only thing on the mind of Paul Likens Sr., who was previously called on to identify the dismembered body.
During a break in the hearing, there was a heated exchange outside the courtroom as members of Pauly's family exchanged words with one another and others who state Pauly, who was assigned male at birth, identified as transgender.
In a previous interview with the Erie Times-News, Pam Ladner, president of the Shenango Valley LGBTQIA+ Alliance, said she had been told Pauly identified as a transgender female by Pauly's mother, aunt, other relatives and friends.
"I vetted the sources thoroughly," Ladner said, saying this "a familial dispute about Pauly's identity."
Friends, in particular, provided numerous anecdotes about Pauly's desire to be recognized as a young woman, Ladner said.
"I'm not going to support the side of trying to erase the identity of the life she was trying to lead," she said. "Pauly was very much (enthused) about their female identity. That is the life they were trying to lead."
Paul Likens Sr. insisted that the transgender identity didn't fit.
"He was my boy," he said. "He was my son. He was a brother. He was a nephew and he was loved."
Pauly lived with him and no one understood him better, Likens said.
Others in the family said some in the community, including family members, had hijacked Pauly's identity for their own reasons.
Emotions flared despite warnings from Martwinski to maintain order both inside and outside of the courtroom.
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What the evidence shows
It was only by working backward, after the discovery of Pauly's body — pieces of which are still missing — that state police were able to merge the case with a report of a missing person that had been filed by Pauly's father.
The investigation led police to collect cell phone location data. And that, in turn, led them to a series of surveillance videos from homes and businesses that included Pauly's movements through the city.
Repeatedly, Watkins' lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Vincent Nudi, tried without success to challenge the validity of that video evidence that had not been authenticated. For the purpose of the preliminary hearing, where the burden of proof is lower, Martwinski allowed the testimony.
There was a limit, however, to what those surveillance videos show. The trail ran out, Craig said, when Pauly reached a canoe launch off Budd Street on the Shenango River.
Eventually, a four-door Nissan Sentra that appeared to match one driven by Watkins, drove into that same boat launch. The car left about nine minutes later. Pauly was never seen leaving the boat launch, Craig said.
Questioned by Strobel, Craig talked about video footage from outside Watkins' apartment and in a common entry area at the Riverwalk Apartment Complex in Sharon.
Craig said those videos showed someone walking into the apartment building carrying a large black duffel bag or some kind of suitcase in his left hand.
Later, in a video shot in the early morning hours, the same person can be seen using a foot to push the bag through a doorway.
From the video, "It's clear that the bag is heavier than it was previously," Craig said, adding that the piece of luggage seemed to leave some sort of material behind. Later, he said, the video footage showed someone using a cloth to wipe up the floor of the hallway at the apartment building.
Defendant's story evolved
Watkins, who previously entered a plea of not guilty, appeared in court wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, orange flip flops and socks. Escorted by sheriff's deputies, he walked slowly as he came and went from the courtroom, his legs shackled closely together.
He remained handcuffed as he sat at the defense table throughout the lengthy proceeding.
Like most defendants, Watkins did not testify at his preliminary hearing. He did confer at times with Alissa Kretser, one of his lawyers.
In a July 2 interview, Craig said he questioned Watkins about what took place at the canoe launch that night. His account changed several times, said Craig, who noted that Watkins explained recent stitches to repair a cut on hand by saying that he had cut it on a piece of sheet metal.
Watkins told Craig that he had a poor memory, but he also said that he had met a male, who seemed roughly to meet Pauly's description, on the LGBTQ social networking and dating app Grindr. Watkins said he and this other person, whose name he said he didn't know, had consensual sex both inside and outside of his car.
He didn't remember where they met, but it wasn't at the boat launch. When it was over, Watkins told Craig that the other person walked away.
While testing is still incomplete, troopers said blood was found in the trunk of Watkins' car.
Throughout the lengthy testimony, Nudi pointed to the limitations of what the video showed, asking, for instance, "Did you ever see the defendant interact with the purported victim?"
In a brief closing statement, Nudi argued that the evidence wasn't sufficient and asked Martwinski to dismiss all charges.
"This is at best a circumstantial case based on hearsay," he said. "There is no direct evidence at this time."
The magistrate disagreed. He told Watkins that he will be formally arraigned in Common Pleas Court on Sept. 24.
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Father says he forgives
For Paul Likens Sr. and for family members, some of whom wore T-shirts bearing Pauly's photo, Thursday's testimony was difficult.
It was particularly hard to see Watkins for the first time, Likens said.
But he also stressed that he had already forgiven him.
"I forgive you for what you have done to my son," he said. "He (Watkins) is the one who has to answer for it when he walks with God on judgment day."
Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com .
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Surveillance videos lead to charges in murder of 14-year-old Pauly Likens of Sharon
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