A full courtroom in Mercer was quiet as chilling details came out Friday about the night a Jefferson Township man was killed while working as a night supervisor at George Junior Republic, Pine Township.

Witnesses testified before District Justice Lawrence T. Silvis during the preliminary hearing for two teenagers charged with killing Wayne Lamont Urey Jr., 43, of Jefferson Estates on Nov. 10.

Charged as adults with homicide, robbery, theft, aggravated assault and conspiracy are 16-year-old Jeremy Melvin of McKeesport and 17-year-old Anthony Machicote of North Versailles. All charges were held to court.

The hearing was held at District Justice Ruth M. French's court to accommodate the crowd of police, attorneys, family members and media.

"I heard a bang and I woke up. I seen Mr. Urey fall to the floor ... They were holding his face down to the carpet," said 15-year-old Jermaine Brown, Machicote's roommate in cottage S, where the attack occurred. "He (Urey) said, 'I'll give you whatever you want, just let me go' ... I heard him say, 'I can't breathe'. He said it two times."

Brown testified that Machicote punched Urey in the back while Urey struggled, and Melvin was crouched down holding Urey's neck.

State trooper Michael Kokowski later testified that when Melvin was in custody, Melvin told him he had Urey's neck in a "sleeper hold."

Brown said Melvin and Machicote used a belt to tie Urey's hands behind his back.

Campus supervisor Bob Lanshcak testified that he found Urey lying unconscious with a sheet wrapped around his ankles, a sheet or belt around his hands and a sheet around his neck.

According to statements that Melvin and Machicote gave to police once they were in custody and had been read their rights, two socks had been stuffed inside Urey's mouth and a sheet wrapped around his face to keep him from spitting them out.

A report read out loud by Kokowski stated that the cause of death was "asphyxiation" due to "suffocation and strangulation." It also said Urey had "blunt force trauma to the head, trunk and extremities" and "right rib fractures."