Man convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Old City pizza worker, acquitted of 3rd-degree murder charges.
A Philadelphia jury on Thursday found Demier Klevitch-Gay, a 30-year-old man from Albany, New York, guilty of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 34-year-old Brian Adams, a pizza worker who succumbed to injuries following a violent altercation on April 27, 2024. The charge arose after Klevitch-Gay punched Adams during a confrontation over the use of outdoor seating at Big Ass Slices Bar & Grill, located on the 200 block of Market Street. The jury, however, acquitted him of the more serious third-degree murder charge.
In addition to involuntary manslaughter, Klevitch-Gay was found guilty of simple assault but was cleared of making terroristic threats and possessing an instrument of crime. He has been incarcerated since the incident, and his attorney indicated that Klevitch-Gay now faces a maximum sentence ranging from 3½ to 7 years in prison.
The confrontation that led to Adams’ tragic death began when the restaurant owner, Jeff Bergman, requested that Klevitch-Gay and another patron vacate their outdoor seats because they were consuming food from a different establishment. Eyewitness accounts suggest that tensions escalated quickly, resulting in Klevitch-Gay delivering several punches to Adams, who subsequently fell to the ground and experienced a life-threatening condition. After spending ten days in a coma, Adams died.
The family of Brian Adams has since filed a lawsuit against both Bergman and Klevitch-Gay, claiming that the restaurant owner exacerbated an already volatile situation by requesting that the men leave the premises. Following the incident, Big Ass Slices shut its doors earlier this year, further compounding the tragedy surrounding Adams’ death.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office has opted not to comment on the case until sentencing takes place. Notably, during a January hearing, medical evidence presented by Victoria Sorokin, the assistant medical examiner, concluded that Adams died due to a ruptured brain aneurysm, which may have been aggravated by the physical altercation and resulting increase in blood pressure.
Attempts to reach restaurant owner Jeff Bergman for comment were unsuccessful, leaving many unanswered questions about the dynamics that led to such a tragic outcome. As the community processes this incident, the implications of the jury’s decision will undoubtedly continue to reverberate throughout Philadelphia and beyond.
Source: Media News Source
