Former Penn State football player LaVon Chisley didn't seem worried Wednesday, waiting in the Centre County Courthouse for his lawyer to return from conferences. He chatted with a friend in the courtroom's front row, smiled often and cracked jokes with the bailiffs.
It's a far cry from the 23-year-old's reaction on Jan. 16 when the murder charges being brought against him first became official: He broke down and wept in his mother's arms.
Chisley, a former defensive end for the Nittany Lions, stands charged of first- and third-degree murder in his trial, which begins today.
The prosecution has portrayed the 23-year-old as a troubled athlete, rendered desperate by his debts, who murdered Penn State student and friend Langston Carraway for money.
Carraway, 26, was found stabbed to death June 5, 2006, in his Patton Township apartment at 110 Northbrook Lane. Bloody meat scissors and steak knives, some broken, lay strewn around him, according to Patton Township Police Department reports. The coroner reported 93 separate stab and slash wounds on Carraway's body.
Police said Carraway was last seen the night of June 3, 2006, wearing a large JoJo diamond watch and carrying a stack of currency about two inches thick. When his body was found by police two days later, the watch and cash were missing, reports indicate.
Carraway's brother, Quincy, was recently arrested by State College police on drug charges in connection to an alleged drug ring operating out of Gopper's Pizza, 114 Hetzel St.
Court officials confirmed Quincy Carraway is seeking a plea agreement, but neither Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira nor Karen Muir, Chisley's attorney, would confirm if he would be called to the stand during Chisley's trial.
If Madeira is to pursue a first-degree murder conviction, he must prove to the jury that Chisley had intent and malice in killing Carraway.
According to court documents, Chisley -- who was passed over in the 2006 NFL draft after being kicked off the Penn State team in August 2005 because of his academic ineligibility -- owed more than $50,000 to various parties, including a State College tattoo artist, a dog breeder and a sports agent. Madeira has theorized that robbery may have been his motive for the murder.
But for now, lawyers from both sides remain reluctant to comment on the case. Defense attorney Karen Muir declined comment Wednesday, citing concerns of prejudicing the jury; Madeira would only offer his hopes of conducting a fair trial.
"We're going to present the evidence and let the jury decide," he said.
The evidence presented could be a point of contention if the case's prior court hearings are any indication. Police retrieved a thick, black rubber glove from near Carraway's body, a key piece of evidence Madeira has said links Chisley to the murder. Witness testimony has indicated that Chisley had been carrying a pair of similar gloves in his windbreaker earlier on the night of the murder.
However, while tests determined that the three DNA profiles obtained from the glove could have included the DNA of Carraway and Chisley, it couldn't conclusively prove a match -- a fact Muir was quick to point out during preliminary court proceedings.
Police also found a 13-inch bloody footprint on the apartment's carpet, matching a shoe found at the crime scene that authorities say belongs to Chisley. Muir submitted a legal order in August stating that she had been denied access to the footprint analysis.
Last Wednesday, she and Madeira came to an agreement behind closed doors regarding the evidence, but neither would elaborate on the terms.
"We'll see you on Monday," was all Muir said.
