A Trenton police officer witnessed Peter Klah shoot his friend Charles Bennett in 2006.
TRENTON -- For a second time, an appeals court has upheld the conviction of a Ewing man who gunned down his friend on a Trenton street, a crime that was witnessed by a passing Trenton police officer.
Peter Klah Peter Klah shot Charles Bennett several times on North Clinton Avenue in Trenton in October 2006.
Bennett had been in a vehicle with Klah, but got out and ran. Klah got out and shot him in the back. Authorities and Bennett's family said the two were friends.
Trenton Police Detective Matthew Przemieniecki and his partner happened to be driving by and Przemieniecki heard a gunshot and saw a muzzle flash.
The officers slammed their car in reverse and drove toward the incident and Przemieniecki watched as Klah, who was wearing a distinctive jacket, fired at Bennett, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The officers arrested Klah and the car's driver nearby and recovered the handgun, which was later linked ballistically as the murder weapon.
Klah was convicted of murder at a 2009 trial and sentenced to 75 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum term of over 63 years.
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In 2012, he appealed, arguing five points related to the trial. An appeals court upheld the conviction.
And in 2013, Klah's attorneys appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court, but the high court declined to hear it.
Klah's latest appeal argued that he should have been given an evidentiary hearing in a post-conviction relief request in 2013. He also argues he had ineffective counsel at trial and in subsequent appeals.
An appeals panel on Tuesday found none of the arguments had merit.
Bennett was 25-years-old, engaged to be married and lived in Princeton Borough.
Klah was from Ewing in 2006. He is now 40-years-old and incarcerated at a state prison in Newark, where he is eligible for parole in 2070.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.