The three suspects that allegedly assaulted Michael Bliss last weekend appeared in felony court Friday.
Since Bliss is still in the Erie County Medical Center's intensive care unit recovering from spine surgery and other injuries, he was not able to testify. The judge granted a 30 day adjournment.
The trial seems to have three different parties testifying against each other; Michael Gunderman and Charles Jordan's lawyers are making a case against Kevin Rowland. They claim that Rowland played the main role in the assault, while Jordan and Gunderman attempted to put a stop to it.
"Mr. Rowland is the one who...caused the damage. My client and Mr. Gunderman were simply trying to stop this vicious beating," said John Liberti, Jordan's lawyer. "Let this be a lesson to everybody...your friends can drag you down."
Rowland's court-appointed lawyer, Roland Hayes, claimed there was no evidence that his client had a larger role than the co-defendants.
However, Rowland's left hand was in a cast of some kind and appeared to be broken.
"Put two and two together - who's the one who was involved in the brawl? The man with the broken hand," Liberti said.
The three roommates will report back to court on April 25.
Jonathon Timkey, Bliss' roommate who was with him the night the assault occurred, was charged with disorderly conduct. The UB student's charge was postponed assuming he stays out of trouble through the end of June, the judge said.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
