Papers filed in federal court say the teenager who bought the shotgun Charlie Tan allegedly used to murder his father will be the key witness in his new federal trial.
Whitney Knickerbocker was a high school friend of Charlie Tan, and Tan was mentoring him as Knickerbocker was pledging the same fraternity at Cornell University. Surveillance video aired at Tan’s state murder trial showed Knickerbocker purchasing a shotgun at the Cortland Walmart. A few hours earlier, Tan tried to buy the same gun, but was put on a waiting list because he’s a Canadian citizen. Later that same day, Tan used the gun he got from Knickerbocker to shoot his father to death.
Whitney Knickerbocker is identified as “Witness 1” in court filings. He will testify against Tan in his federal trial for illegal purchase of a firearm.
Tan’s murder trial ended in a hung jury, and the judge then dismissed the charges. The federal trial focuses on the use of a straw purchaser in violation of federal weapons law. Tan is expected to go on trial in the summer.