A witness said that when Perry dragged the victim outside the club, he said Shuler "is just drunk."
Perricone told the jury that Perry received a 5- to 20-year prison term in 1973 for third-degree murder. Perry also has convictions for burglary and drunken driving.
'CHEAP HIGH' KILLERS GUILTY
The two men planned to steal office equipment from the Tioga trucking company so they could raise cash to buy drugs, said the prosecutor.
When they found Edward Heileman, 47, a mechanic for the company, inside the office of Patterson's Truck Service, on 32nd Street near Allegheny Avenue, on March 14, 1989, Heileman was beaten to death. Some telephones, a typewriter and a few power tools were stolen.
"For a cheap high, they killed my brother," sighed James Heileman, 42, after a jury convicted Jerome E. Grier, 25, a laborer at the company, and Eric Hoffman, 24, of first-degree murder.
Common Pleas Judge Albert F. Sabo ordered the jury to deliberate today on a request for the death penalty by Assistant District Attorney Edward Cameron.
Cameron said after Homicide Detective Jeff Piree arrested Grier, of 19th Street near Westmoreland, Grier admitted that he was present when Hoffman, of Lehigh Avenue near 26th Street, struck Heileman on the head.
Hoffman testified that Grier was the killer. "We were both high," said Hoffman. "He (Grier) just kept hitting him."
James Heileman praised the police and Cameron's handling of the case, but said, "I would feel a lot better if the defendants are sentenced to the chair."
SISTERS JAILED FOR ASSAULT
The two North Philadelphia sisters apologized for assaulting police officers in 1988. Then they were sentenced to prison terms.
Maria Valasquez, 22, of Tioga Street near 6th, and her sister, Gloria
Hernandez, 21, of the same address, were pregnant at the time of the incident at Tioga and Marshall streets on Feb. 12, 1988.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Kershaw said after both women falsely claimed they were victims of police brutality, members of the community protested outside of the Front and Westmoreland police station.
"There was no police brutality involved in this case," said Kershaw. He said the women shouted obscenities and attacked officers who had ordered them to move along.
Common Pleas Judge Angelo A. Guarino sentenced Valasquez to two to four years in prison, and Hernandez to four to 23 months.
Guarino said he wanted "to send a message" to the community that police must not be attacked while they are doing their jobs.
"I'm sorry," said Valasquez.
"I want to apologize to the police," said Hernandez.
