Expert testimony details Clearfield bombing
Witnesses clarify conclusion that woman’s death was result of blast
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JOHNSTOWN -- Two expert witnesses were called to the stand by U.S. Western District of Pennsylvania prosecutors as they worked to clarify key details in the ongoing trial of alleged bomber Kris Joseph Nevling.
Nevling, 48, of Houtzdale, is on trial on federal charges of possession of an unregistered destructive device and conspiracy to maliciously destroy property by explosive device in connection with the death of a Clearfield woman in October 2019.
According to the federal indictment released in August 2024, Nevling is alleged to have "aided and abetted" Morrisdale resident Clint Addleman, 47, in constructing the explosive device that was used to kill Shawna Carlson, 34, after she incurred an outstanding $600 debt by purchasing methamphetamine from Addleman.
Nevling's trial before U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines began on Aug. 18 with jury selection, and opening statements from the defense team and prosecution followed the next day.
On Wednesday, Assistant U.S. District Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon called Harry N. Kamerow to the stand to give testimony regarding the cause and manner of Carlson's death.
Kamerow, a forensic pathologist at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College who conducted the postmortem autopsy on Carlson shortly after her death in 2019, was sworn in as an expert witness based on his experience overseeing more than 2,000 autopsies across his 35-year career.
According to Kamerow, several key facts discovered during the autopsy support his conclusion that Carlson died as a result of an explosion that triggered the subsequent fire that destroyed her apartment building, not the fire itself.
Kamerow was asked by Sheehan-Balchon to describe a number of photographs taken during the autopsy in order to lay out the rationale for the conclusions laid out in his final report from February 2020.
According to Kamerow, one of the key pieces of evidence he discovered was a small fragment of hard black plastic found lodged at the base of Carlson's skull, which appeared to have been propelled through the back of her right eye socket at high velocity.
Three other pieces of black plastic corresponding in composition to the piece found in the skull were recovered from Carlson's right lung, Kamerow said, with all four "projectiles" having penetrated her body after being launched at a high speed.
Carlson's larynx and trachea did not show a concentrated deposit of soot, which would have been a key indicator of death by smoke inhalation, Kamerow said, suggesting she died prior to the fire that ultimately destroyed the residence and severely burned her body.
The defense team did not object to Kamerow's categorization as an expert witness, nor did they object to his statements regarding Carlson's autopsy.
The second witness called by Sheehan-Balchon was retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Matthew Regentin, now an assistant teaching professor of forensic science at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
Regentin was sworn as an expert witness in determining the cause and origin of fires and explosions without objection due to his 22-year career as an ATF-certified fire investigator.
At the time of the explosion in 2019, Regentin was still an active agent with the ATF and was called in to help investigate the scene.
According to Regentin, his investigation found several security cameras placed on neighboring properties and was able to acquire their footage from the day of the bombing.
This footage revealed an individual placing a large box at the door of Carlson's unit in the early hours of the morning prior to the blast, and later footage showed the explosion and resulting fire, he said.
According to Regentin, his investigation discovered several pieces of black plastic akin to those found during Kamerow's autopsy located throughout the bedroom area of the apartment and adjacent side yard.
Subsequent chemical testing revealed that these pieces held "explosive residue," consistent with an explosive detonation in the area, he said.
Nevling's trial is set to run through the middle of next week, while Addleman's trial is scheduled to begin in October.
Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.