Bucks victim's family says accused shooter Manilla hid assets

The family of slain Bucks County deer hunter Barry Groh has accused his admitted killer, lawyer David Manilla, of trying to illegally hide his own assets to keep them from being seized in a lawsuit.

The claims were made in a wrongful-death suit filed Monday against Manilla, who has acknowledged shooting Groh with a high-powered rifle Nov. 29 near Quakertown.

The lawsuit, brought by Groh's widow and two sons in Bucks County Court, also names Manilla's mother and sister as defendants, apparently because Manilla transferred large real estate holdings into their names in the days immediately after Groh's death.

The Grohs' attorneys are seeking an injunction voiding those land transactions, calling them a fraudulent attempt to shield Manilla's assets from being seized as a result of the civil claims.

The suit alleges that Manilla and his relatives "are engaging in a course of conduct designed to render Mr. Manilla 'execution-proof' from the substantial judgment likely to result from this lawsuit."

Groh, 52, was killed while hunting on land adjacent to Manilla's property in Richland Township on the first day of rifle deer season. After killing a buck, authorities say, Groh called his wife, Theresa, to send one of their sons to help him carry the large deer out.

Groh dragged the buck into a creek bed before being shot in the heart from about 88 yards away by Manilla, who later told detectives he had mistaken Groh for a deer.

Manilla, 49, a lawyer in Montgomery County who pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the 1980s, was hunting illegally. As a convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing firearms. It is also illegal to use a rifle to hunt in Bucks County because of the area's population density and the rifle's long range. Groh was using a shotgun, which is allowed.

Manilla was charged Dec. 17 with three felony counts of illegal firearms possession, involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person, and several lesser hunting violations.

Manilla was released from the Bucks County prison on Dec. 31 after his mother, Vivian, posted 10 percent of his $2 million bail. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Jan. 31.

Albert R. Riviezzo, a lawyer with the Fox Rothschild law firm that is representing the Grohs, declined in an e-mail to comment on the lawsuit.

J. David Farrell, Manilla's lawyer on the criminal charges, did not return a call seeking comment.

According to authorities, Manilla was hunting with his uncle, former Montgomery County District Attorney Michael D. Marino, and Robert Monestero.

None called 911 until 40 minutes after the shooting. None gave police a full account of what had happened until more than a week had passed, court records say. Neither Marino nor Monestero is a defendant in the civil case.

The lawsuit, saying Groh's death "was caused by the carelessness and negligence of Mr. Manilla," seeks damages in excess of $100,000.

Manilla did not admit the shooting until Dec. 16, the day before he was charged.

In the interim, the lawsuit claims, Manilla began "dissipating assets as rapidly as humanly possible."

He signed over four properties to his mother and one to his sister, Honor. The parcels - three in Worcester, one in Upper Salford, and one in New Hanover - were deeded over for $1 each.

Manilla also completed the sale of his Richland property to PPL Electric Utilities Corp. - a deal in the works for several months - on Dec. 9 for $1.45 million. He then granted his mother power of attorney, allowing her to manage his finances.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction not only voiding the land transfers to Manilla's mother and sister, but asking that the proceeds of the Richland land sale be placed in a trust during the litigation.

The Grohs "have been grievously harmed by Mr. Manilla's actions with his high-powered rifle," the lawsuit says, "and this court can now prevent further harm and reaffirm the public's interest in seeing a person such as Mr. Manilla held responsible for his actions."

A hearing on the injunction request has been scheduled for Thursday morning before Bucks County Court Judge Robert J. Mellon.