Prosecutors seek to introduce past allegations in murder trial
Robert Chaplin claims his girlfriend’s fatal shooting in Rostraver was an accident.
By RICH CHOLODOFSKY
TribLive
Westmoreland County prosecutors want jurors in an upcoming homicide trial to hear about a decade-old domestic allegation from Michigan.
They argue the defendant’s claim that his girlfriend’s fatal shooting was an accident opens the door to introducing similar past accusations as evidence.
Robert Chaplin, 35, is awaiting trial on a charge of criminal homicide in the February 2025 death of 35-year-old Estela Rivera Vazquez. Police said Vazquez was shot in the chest in the basem ent of the Rostraver Township home they shared with her three children.
Chaplin has maintained the handgun accidentally discharged during an argument.
Initially, Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger issued a ruling in July barring details of the Michigan case, noting prosecutors had not yet introduced evidence Chaplin claimed the shooting was accidental.
However, state police Trooper Matthew Dechicchis testified Monday Chaplin sat in the back of a police cruiser adamantly claiming the shooting was accidental.
“He was very upset, confused and angry and made multiple statements about how he killed his girlfriend and that it was an accident,” Dechicchis said, playing body camera footage of Chaplin trying to explain what happened.
In the video, Chaplin claimed he and Rivera argued after he accused her of infidelity, and his gun discharged through his pants pocket as he tried to put the weapon away.
“It just went off. I would never hurt her. I love her,” Chaplin said in the video.
Westmoreland County Detective Jenna Derco testified investigators found no physical evidence supporting Chaplin’s claim the gun went off through his clothing.
Because Chaplin claims the shooting was an accident, prosecutors argue it fits a pattern with a 2015 incident. During a pretrial hearing earlier this year, Chaplin’s former Michigan girlfriend testified he accused her of cheating and pointed a shotgun at her head.
Defense attorney Emily Smarto pushed back against introducing the old allegations, arguing state law is on the defense’s side, and prosecutors shouldn’t be allowed to rebut testimony the defense hasn’t formally introduced yet.
“This creates a host of problems,” Smarto said, describing the two cases as “apples and oranges” because the previous victim was not killed.
Chaplin remains in jail without bond, and no trial date has been set. Krieger said he will issue a new ruling after reviewing written legal arguments over the next two months.
Chaplin
