Judge rules there is enough evidence to hold man suspected of killing mailman in Collier

Eric Kortz appeared nonchalant as he waited for police to take him into custody last week shortly after authorities said he shot and killed mail carrier Louis Vignone in Collier, based on video footage shown Tuesday in a probable cause hearing.

The body-worn camera footage from Carnegie police Officer Matthew Rieder showed Kortz, 58, of Pittsburgh, sitting in a chair inside the municipal building as officers approached and then greeting officers by saying, “What’s up?”

An officer can be seen asking Kortz what was going on.

“Nothing, just come to turn myself in, that’s all,” Kortz replied.

When Rieder asked why, Kortz said, “Killing that (expletive) mailman out in Rennerdale.”

Rennerdale is a section of Collier.

The video, which included the exchange, was played during the probable cause hearing for Kortz in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia L. Dodge. Dodge ruled there was enough evidence to hold Kortz on charges of murder of a United States employee and one firearm violation.

Kortz appeared via video feed from Allegheny County Jail. He spoke only to waive his detention hearing, which also was set for Tuesday afternoon.

Authorities say Kortz and Vignone were once neighbors in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood, and Kortz claimed Vignone had been poisoning him and his family with cyanide.

Federal public defenders Aaron Sontz and Andrew Lipson seized on Kortz’s quote from the body cam footage, pointing out that Kortz never actually said that he had shot Vignone.

“I don’t think he used the term shot,” said Allegheny County Homicide Detective Darren Gerlach, the sole witness called in the hearing, in response to questioning by Sontz.

“He never actually said he shot anybody?” Sontz asked.

“He never said the words, ‘I shot somebody,’” Gerlach responded.

After Sontz offered that it could be possible Vignone was already dead by other means when he was shot, Gerald said that “seems unlikely, but I couldn’t tell you for sure.”

Sontz pointed generally at Gerlach’s lack of first- or even second-hand information, including whether Kortz claimed the alleged poisoning by Vignone killed his father and whether he claimed self-defense to stop the poisoning.

“Not that was told to me,” Gerlach said.

Sontz argued for charges to be dismissed against Kortz, claiming there was no evidence “the victim was actually killed by gunshot as opposed to something else” or that Kortz was “the person who actually is responsible for the victim’s death.”

Dodge disagreed, and ruled there was enough probable cause to support the charges against Kortz. A date for his next hearing has not been set.