Trial begins in case of York County man accused of attempted murder in 2022

Ken Knight went to his parents' produce farm in Heidelberg Township on the morning of May 2, 2022.

He told police he arrived at the farm with his camera to take photos of excavation work, before he was confronted by someone at the Paws Pet Resort, a family-owned pet resort, just by the farm property, according to court documents.

At approximately 9 a.m., the Northern York County Regional Police Department was dispatched to the area after receiving a call from Richard Lewis Starks, who said that a stranger had pulled into the business, threatened customers and employees, and pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Starks said the man had been an older, white male, who drove a white Cadillac: Ken Knight.

Knight was one of several who testified Tuesday as the commonwealth began presenting its case against Starks, who is standing trial this week in the York County Court of Common Pleas on charges of criminal attempt to commit murder and related offenses. Northern York County Regional Police Lt. John Migatulski and Dr. Daniel Carney, chairman of surgery and medical trauma at York Hospital, also testified.

'I didn’t care if he killed me or not, long as he didn’t kill my parents'

“I parked up on the railroad tracks, walked up the field with my camera, and they came out and took pictures (of me)” Knight testified Tuesday.

Knight said he was confronted by individuals outside the pet resort, explaining his concern for the business on the property, including the dogs, which he said can be heard barking into the late hours of the night.

Officers at the scene spoke with two witnesses, including Christian Starks, Richard's son, who initially called his father about a stranger making threats at the pet resort.

Christian told officers that Knight made several threats to burn down the property and poison the dogs. But Knight denied making any statements about killing the dogs, or anyone on the property, and expressed that he made two trips to the pet resort property twice that morning, one time with his father and once by himself.

“I got dogs; why would I want to kill a dog? I would never kill a dog,” Knight said during an interview with Detective Steven Lebo, which was played for the jury.

Knight alleged that Starks jumped on his windshield and pointed a gun at him. Feeling threatened, Knight admitted to ramming Starks with his car at one point after Starks allegedly shot at his car. According to court documents, Christian, concerned that his father had been injured or killed, responded to the scene after hearing gunshots.

Throughout the audio recording, Knight’s voice can be heard. “I didn’t do nothing wrong.” Knight testified that he believed Starks was a threat to his elderly parents who were in their home that morning. “I didn’t care if he killed me or not, long as he didn’t kill my parents,” Knight said during an audio recorded interview.

'He called for help multiple times – no one came'

Upon arriving at the scene, Lt. Migatulski found Knight, covered in blood, sitting on a pile of rocks, and Starks, holding a shotgun he later surrendered. Knight was later treated by the EMS. Starks reported that his leg was injured, and the lieutenant called a second ambulance to the scene.

Knight was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for multiple gunshot wounds. Bullet fragments were found in his chest, ribs and face areas, according to Dr. Carney.

Court documents stated Starks’ vehicle, a purple Tesla, had heavy damage to its passenger side. Knight’s Cadillac was found with heavy front-end damage from the apparent collision, court documents stated. The front passenger window from the Tesla was lying on the ground with a large hole in the center, and several rifle casings were on the floor and on top of seats inside the vehicle.

“The victim had told me that the defendant had shot him,” Migatulski said. Starks later confessed to shooting at Knight. In an opening statement, defense attorney Tom Kelley said Starks made several 911 calls that morning before the lieutenant arrived.

He said that the NYCRPD substation was only a six-minute drive from the location of the scene. “He called for help multiple times – no one came,” Kelley said.

“The police failed him – his hope, his desire, his request from you, is that you do not fail to uphold your part of this process,” Kelley said, facing the jury.

In his opening statement, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Justin Baran said the delay in police response was due to the confusion of the location of the incident, and whether it took place in York or Adams County.

Migatulski said Tuesday that he was dispatched to the scene in May 2022, after the dispatcher announced that shots were fired. According to court documents, when the officers arrived on the scene, Knight denied personally having a firearm in his possession.

The trial is scheduled to continue Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Trial begins in attempted murder case by York County man