Now We Wait Until May...

Harlow Cuadra's PCRA hearing has been continued until May 20, 2013. Ironically, the original petition was filed on May 3, 2012.

Michael Melnick filed a motion last week to disqualify Harlow's attorney Demetrius Fannick (pictured above). The motion was withdrawn by Shannon Crake, who prosecuted Cuadra with Melnick. Crake is now handling the PCRA from the DA's office. She recently returned from maternity leave and needs more time to catch up.

What Happened to Melnick?

On June 11, 2010... Frank P. Barletta filed an "entry of appearance" for the Luzerne County DA's office with the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, regarding convicted murder Harlow Cuadra's appeal.

While it's widely known that Barletta strictly does appeals for Luzerne County... it makes one wonder... what happened to the original prosecutor Michael Melnick, and why isn't he still handling this?

Update @ 06/27/2010: A source tells me that the reason Melnick is no longer listed as the DA, is because Frank Barletta handles higher court appeals for the Luzerne County District Attorney's Office. Jackie Musto Carroll does it that way so regular ADA's aren't jammed up with appeals and can concentrate on current caseloads, leaving Barletta to handle appeals.