Chesapeake, Va. - New details have been released in the beating death of a 77-year-old Vietnam veteran, left for dead at a Chesapeake airport.
Today, the one young man charged in his murder appeared in court for his preliminary hearing - with his lawyers arguing that the charges should be downgraded.
Four violent blows to the head led to a blood clot that eventually killed 77-year-old Charles Silva.
The Vietnam vet was beaten, according to prosecutors, after he confronted a group of young men on ATVs for tresspassing.
That evidence came out in court today during the preliminary hearing of Kyle Langreder, the only person charged in his murder.
The 22-year-old appeared in front of a Chesapeake judge today, his lawyer fighting for the charges to be downgraded to manslaughter.
The medical examiner has said she can't determine which blows to the head caused his death.
Langreder admitted to police that he did hit Charles Silva once in the jaw, but that two other young men also attacked the Vietnam vet back on September 27 in the fields behind the Hampton Roads Executive Airport.
Chesapeake Detective Wayne Chadwell talked about Langreder's first on-the-record interview.
"He stated to me that both were punching him, punching him in the side, on his head, everywhere."
The young men's names, stated in open court by prosecutors - one even testified as a witness in the hearing.
The Commonwealth's Attorney says all three young men were involved in Silva's beating.
"He was one of the individuals who was raining blows on Mr. Silva, and Mr. Silva died as a result of it, three 20-year-olds, all going out there and beating him to death."
Yet, Langreder is still the only one formally charged with first degree murder.
His case, now headed to a grand jury.
The family of Charles Silva was in that courtroom, as well as the family of the defendant, Kyle Langreder.
Both told NewsChannel 3's Laurie Simmons on the record, that they cannot believe these other two young men have not been charged yet in the murder, especially with the evidence presented today, and with prosecutors saying in open court that they all did it.
