WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- The lone survivor of a shooting spree that left 13 other people dead said Monday accused killer George Banks told him he would 'not live long enough to tell anyone about this.'
The testimony came as Banks, 40, a former prison guard, went on trial amid tight security in Luzerne County Common Pleas Court for 13 counts of criminal homicide and other charges.
The victims of the shooting rampage included five of the defendant's children and their four mothers.
Nine of the victims were killed in or outside Banks' home at 28 Schoolhouse Lane in Wilkes-Barre. Five others died in at a trailer park in suburban Jenkins Township.
James Olson, 24, of Plains, told the jury of eight women and four men he heard several gunshots as he and three companions stood on the street outside the defendant's home about 2 a.m. last Sept. 25.
A few minutes later, Olson testified, Banks walked away from the house and toward his group, which included shooting victim Raymond Hall.
'I heard Banks say, 'You're not going to live long enough to tell anyone about this,' said Olson. 'He shot Ray. Then he turned and shot me.'
Olson, who was hositalized for three weeks with a bullet wound to the chest, was one of 13 witnesses called by the prosecution.
Banks listened intently to most of the testifying, frequently taking notes and moving forward to confer with his court-appointed attorneys.
Thomas Demillier, 20, testified he was standing next to Hall when Banks fired the fatal shot.
'Ray Hall said, 'Hey, I know you,' and he (Banks) shot Ray,' said Demillier. 'There was a big boom and a flash of light.'
Demillier said he pushed Molly McBride, the fourth person in the group, to the ground when Banks fired the shots. 'I said, 'Stay down. Stay down. Play dead,'' he testified.
In his opening statement, Luzerne County District Attorney Robert Gillespie showed the jury the large, black rifle allegedly used to commit the killings.
'You'll hear a lot about this weapon,' Gillespie said. 'It's called an AR-15, a civilian version of the M-16 used in combat.'
Sharon Gomb, 36, of Ashley, testified she exchanged T-shirts with Banks at a party in Wilkes-Barre Township only hours before the slayings.
Ms. Gomb said she gave Banks a shirt that read 'I have a drinking problem, I can't get enough,' and received in return a faded green shirt with the words 'Kill them all. Let God sort it out.'
James Olson, 24, of Plains, told the jury of eight women and four men he heard several gunshots as he and three companions stood on the street outside the defendant's home about 2 a.m. the day of the killings.
A few minutes later, Olson testified, Banks walked away from the house and toward his group, which included shooting victim Raymond Hall.
'I heard Banks say, 'You're not going to live long enough to tell anyone about this,' said Olson. 'He shot Ray. Then he turned and shot me.'
Olson, who was hospitalized for three weeks with a bullet wound to the chest, was one of 13 witnesses called by the prosecution.
Banks listened intently to most of the testifying, frequently taking notes and moving forward to confer with his court-appointed attorneys.
Thomas Demillier, 20, testified he was standing next to Hall when Banks fired the fatal shot.
'Ray Hall said, 'Hey, I know you,' and he (Banks) shot Ray,' said Demillier. 'There was a big boom and a flash of light.'
Demillier said he pushed Molly McBride, the fourth person in the group, to the ground when Banks fired the shots. 'I said, 'Stay down. Stay down. Play dead,'' he testified.
In his opening statement, Luzerne County District Attorney Robert Gillespie showed the jury the large, black rifle allegedly used to commit the killings.
'You'll hear a lot about this weapon,' Gillespie said. 'It's called an AR-15, a civilian version of the M-16 used in combat.'
Ruth Galbraith, sister of Dorothy Lyons, one of the victims, testified the gun had been kept at her house since August 1982, when Ms. Lyons gave it to her.
She said she returned the weapon to Ms. Lyons on the night of the party because Ms. Lyons told her Banks wanted it.
Ms. Galbraith said her sister received a call during the party after Banks had left and 'was crying or on the verge of crying' when she got off the phone.
'She asked for the gun,' Ms. Galbraith said. 'I told her it was upstairs in the hall closet.'
Asked why Ms. Lyons wanted the gun, Ms. Galbraith said, 'She told me George wanted it.'
Ms. Galbraith, Ms. Gomb and Stanley O'Brien, who began crying at one point during his testiomony, said Banks was not acting strangely and did not appear drunk while he was at the party celebrating O'Brien's birthday.
Banks' lawyers withheld their opening statement until later in the trial.
The jury was picked two weeks ago in Allegheny County to hear the case and Luzerne County Judge Patrick Toole has sequestered the panel for the duration of the trial.
Banks, who worked as a watchtower guard at the Camp Hill state prison at the time of the shootings, has been held in the Luzerne County Prison since his arrest.
