kstephens@altoonamirror.com
HOLLIDAYSBURG — An Altoona teenager facing second-degree murder in the 2020 shooting death of a fellow teenager cannot be rehabilitated through any form of treatment available in juvenile court, a Philadelphia psychiatrist testified Friday in Blair County Court.
Dr. John O’Brien II, presented as a rebuttal witness during a hearing to decide if Logan Persing’s criminal charges should remain in adult court, said Persing has never been able to sustain improvements in his behavior.
“The offense itself,” O’Brien said, referring to the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Devon Pfirsching, “occurred on a night when Persing had to pretend that he was compliant with his curfew.”