Conflict attorneys appointed to represent homicide suspect

Feb. 29—WILKES-BARRE — Homicide suspect Natanihel Sanmartin has new defense attorneys after nearly a year of playing lawyer roulette.

Attorneys John B. Pike and Max C. Lubin, from the Luzerne County pool of conflict lawyers, were recently appointed to represent Sanmartin, 41.

Wilkes-Barre police charged Sanmartin with fatally shooting his girlfriend, Carla Pina, inside their shared residence at 42 Darling St. on Feb. 12, 2023.

Court records say Sanmartin went into a bedroom where a 3-year-old child was sleeping and fired a shot from a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

Pina went into the bedroom, where she was shot in the face and killed, court records say.

Sanmartin is facing charges of criminal homicide, child endangerment and two counts of reckless endangerment.

Soon after Sanmartin was arrested the day of the fatal shooting, he submitted an application to the Public Defender's Office for representation.

On the day of Sanmartin's preliminary hearing in April, Sanmartin had retained a private attorney to represent him on the criminal homicide case.

After the preliminary hearing, the private attorney left Sanmartin and he applied again for representation from the Public Defender's Office.

In November, Judge David W. Lupas granted a request by the Public Defender's Office to end their representation of Sanmartin as Sanmartin reportedly failed to disclose rental property he owned in West Pittston. Rental income would make Sanmartin ineligible to be provided a free public defender.

Sanmartin went lawyerless for a time without making an effort at obtaining another private lawyer before Lupas in December re-appointed the Public Defender's Office to represent him.

However, Lupas on Feb. 14 granted a motion to appoint conflict counsel for Sanmartin's defense. The motion seeking appointment of conflict counsel is missing from Sanmartin's case file.

During a status conference Thursday, Pike and Lubin said they were recently appointed to Sanmartin's case and are waiting for the Public Defender's Office to turn over files.

Lupas said he will schedule a trial date at a later time.