Two codefendants will testify against homicide suspect Hassan L.R. Brack, 38, in the Dec. 5, 2021, stabbing and shooting death of a Pittsburgh man in a College Street apartment in Butler.

The jury trial began Monday, April 7, in Common Pleas Court for Brack, who is facing felony charges of homicide, attempted homicide, burglary, attempted robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery filed by Butler police in the death of Hakeem Moran, who was 31.

Codefendants Kahlil Z.H. Rippy Jr., 26, of Butler, and Brooke R. Fair Smith, 31, of Butler, are facing similar charges and will testify against Brack, assistant district attorney Robert Zanella said Monday in his opening statement.

In exchange for truthful testimony, Rippy will receive a 4-to-10-year prison sentence and Fair Smith will spend 3.5 to 10 years in prison, Zanella said.

He said the three defendants planned to rob Moran of drugs. After Fair Smith set up the robbery and left the apartment, Brack and Rippy entered and a struggle ensued, Zanella said.

Brack lost a gun during the struggle, but pulled a knife and stabbed Moran repeatedly before retrieving the gun and shooting Moran in the back, Zanella said.

He said Brack and Rippy left without drugs, and Moran managed to leave the apartment building, but collapsed in a nearby yard and later died in a hospital.

Defense attorney Rebecca Black described the case as a “targeted investigation with a predetermined result.”

Fair Smith and Brack ended their relationship the day before the incident; she had an ax to grind and created a story after she was arrested, Black said.

Black said there is no proof Brack killed Moran, and there is no link between Brack and the crime without Fair Smith and Rippy.

Police officers testified about a spent bullet and other evidence collected from the apartment and a van found nearby, and surveillance videos.

Samantha Newhart, a state police forensic DNA scientist, testified that Moran’s DNA was found on the bullet and on the blade of a folding knife found under a vehicle near the scene, and DNA from Brack was found on a lighter and cigarette found in the van.

Dr. Baiyang Xu, who performed an autopsy on Moran for the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, said Moran suffered six stab wounds and one gunshot. He said a knife pierced his lung, but the bullet didn’t strike any internal organs. One of the stab wounds was in his left forearm, Xu said. Ketamine, an anesthetic used to treat depression, was found in his system, he said.

The trial resumes Tuesday.