HOLLIDAYSBURG — The trial for two people facing murder charges in a 2020 fatal shooting of a man and woman inside an Altoona residence is now scheduled for September.

Nearly three years have passed since Natalie Washington, 52, of Altoona, and Mikal Jackson-Stevenson, 28, of Philadelphia, were found dead on May 28, 2020, inside Washington’s residence on the 2600 block of Beale Avenue.

Isaiah “Zay” Payne, 33, of Philadelphia, is charged with first-degree murder and faces the death penalty if convicted.

Onya Lewis, 33, who was living in Gallitzin at the time of the fatal shooting, is charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and related offenses.

Both Payne and Lewis, currently incarcerated without bail options, were in Blair County Court on Monday where Blair County President Judge Elizabeth Doyle reviewed some of the pending legal issues that will factor into the evidence and testimony to be permitted at trial.

The pair were scheduled for trial in March, when defense attorney Timothy Burns of Ebensburg, scheduled to represent Payne in the penalty phase portion of the trial, developed health-related issues that caused him to back away from the task.

Doyle subsequently appointed attorney Thomas Hooper to take on Burns’ responsibility. In court Monday, Hooper asked that Payne undergo a neuropsychological examination for potential use at trial. Doyle asked for the request to be submitted in writing and told Hooper to be mindful of when the task could be completed.

While District Attorney Pete Weeks asked for the case to go to trial as soon as possible, the judge and defense attorneys identified other obligations in July and August that pushed the potential four- to five-day trial into mid-September.

The judge also allowed Richard Corcoran, Payne’s trial lawyer, and Kristen Anastasi, Lewis’ attorney, to have until June 30 to submit their positions on the presentation of trial testimony and evidence.

In early March, Weeks and First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith submitted a pretrial motion asking for restrictions on defense testimony. In that motion, they maintained that the defense has no legally valid reason for claiming self-defense in the shootings.

In court Monday, they maintained that same position.

Corcoran countered by referencing Payne’s statements to police about being in fear of Jackson-Stevenson. Payne told officers that he knew Jackson-Stevenson was angry about insufficient payments for drug transactions. He also accused Jackson-Stevenson of threatening his life and of knowing where Payne’s family members lived in Philadelphia.

“A number of his statements to police go to Mr. Payne’s state of mind,” Corcoran said.

Weeks said Payne could make his claims by testifying but otherwise, there’s no evidence allowing to claim self-defense.

Anastasi also claimed that there’s no evidence that Lewis played a key role in the events leading up to the fatal shooting or that she conspired with Payne to rob Jackson-Stevenson of money and drugs.

Lewis has been identified as the person who drove Payne to the 2600 block of Beale Avenue and picked him up after the shooting.

Weeks said the charges against Lewis can be supported by proving that she was either a conspirator or an accomplice.

“We don’t have to assert that she was the mastermind,” Weeks said.

Attorneys also disagreed over the time frame that will be referenced as to Payne and Lewis’ involvement in drug trafficking.

“The drug trafficking allegations are the motives for the homicides,” Weeks said, suggesting that testimony could cover six or seven months before the killings. Corcoran disagreed and suggested focusing on a few days before Jackson-Stevenson and Washington were found dead.

“I don’t know that’s it’s necessary to go six to seven months in the past,” Corcoran said.

Weeks disagreed and said the drug debt dispute was an ongoing source of tension between Jackson-Stevenson and both defendants.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.