3 to face trial in Pa. student's death

Three men were ordered Monday to stand trial on charges they beat a college student in a rare killing in Pennsylvania Dutch country.

Terry D. Kline Jr., 22; his brother Kenneth R. Kline, 21; and Timothy R. Gearhart, 23, all of Allentown, will stand trial on charges of first- and third-degree murder, aggravated assault and conspiracy, a judge ruled.

Kyle Quinn, a 19-year-old Kutztown University sophomore, was beaten on Main Street in Kutztown on Sept. 7. Investigators have said the three men, all from out of town, apparently chose their victim at random.

The last homicide in Kutztown, a rural town of about 5,000 full-time residents between Reading and Allentown, was in 1982.2

Gearhart's attorney argued Monday that his client was drunk at the time and should not have been charged with first-degree murder. An attorney for the Kline brothers blamed Gearhart and denied his clients took part in the beating.

Berks County District Attorney Mark Baldwin said he has not decided whether to seek the death penalty.