Pa. man withdraws manslaughter plea, will go on trial in July

MERCER, Pa. — A man who’s accused in the killing of a Hempfield Township man has withdrawn a guilty plea and will go to trial in July.

Michael V. Matter, 52, of Greenville asked to withdraw his plea of involuntary manslaughter before his sentencing was to go forward Thursday, said Mercer County District Attorney Robert Kochems. His plea was formally withdrawn today.

Kochems said original charges of first- and third-degree murder are reinstated.

Howard Urquhart, 60, was found Feb. 20, 2008, in a wooded area off Bandy Road in Greene Township. He’d been missing since Jan. 17. He’d been shot in the neck.

By pleading guilty, Matter was expected to receive between 16 and 32 years in prison.

He has said the shooting was an accident that happened while the men were poaching deer.