Charges held for court against man accused of strangling newlywed wife

Jun. 29—MERCER — A district judge held homicide charges to common pleas court against a Coolspring Township man accused of strangling his newlywed wife.

Eric Raymond George, 44, of 374 N. Perry Highway, Lot 87, was charged in the June 14 strangulation death of his wife, Serena Ann Schoeder, 41, of Lemoore, Calif.

During the hearing, Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Jamal Simon testified that he received a phone call June 14 from George in the Mercer County state police barracks communications center.

Simon said George's phone call, transferred from the Mercer County 911 dispatching center, came in around 10:45 p.m., and George said he needed EMS and a coroner.

The trooper asked why he needed those specific services and testified that George said his wife was dead and that he strangled her to death. Simon testified that George told police he was having an argument with his wife, she told him she was cheating on him and he strangled her.

George and Schoeder had been married for only a few months, police said in a criminal complaint.

State police investigator. Trooper Tyler A. Craig, testified that when he looked at Schoeder's body, he saw petechial hemorrhaging — blood trapped in a particular area of the body — in Schoeder's face.

Trooper Adam Peth, a forensic examiner, was present at the autopsy conducted the following day by Dr. Eric Vey of the Erie County Coroner's Office. Peth testified that he was told by the examiner that the cause and manner of death was asphyxiation by strangulation.

Defense attorney Matthew Mangino argued that Peth's testimony was hearsay upon hearsay, and thus inadmissible.

Assistant District Attorney Jacob Sander said the prosecution met its preliminary-hearing burden of proof with Simon testifying to George's statement to police and with Peth's testimony to the cause and manner of death.

District Judge Daniel W. Davis of Mercer agreed with Sander and ordered the homicide charge held over to common pleas court.

Arraignment in common pleas court is scheduled for Aug. 31.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Suspects are to be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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