Tia Pittman

Tia Pittman, a 38-year-old Black woman, was a stylist who had helped found a civic engagement nonprofit in her home state of Michigan. She and her partner, Stanley Peck, also 38, had recently moved to Tampa, Florida, to care for his father, who was battling cancer. The couple had a two-year-old son and had just welcomed a baby daughter three weeks before they were killed. A neighbor described them as a "nice, sweet couple" who were quiet and humble.

On the morning of October 31, 2019, shortly after 7 a.m., the couple was outside their duplex on West Walnut Street when they were confronted. Stanley’s sister, Germina Peck, was inside the home when a loud noise woke her. As she ran to the front door, she saw her brother push Tia inside. Tia cried out, “We’re getting robbed.” Germina testified that she then saw a man lift a gun and begin shooting. Both Tia and Stanley were hit. Stanley died at the scene, and Tia was transported to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Their two young children were inside the home during the attack.

Witnesses reported seeing a man speed away from the scene on a bicycle. The investigation led police to Tyrail Raheem Kendrick, a 26-year-old man with a prior criminal record. On November 8, 2019, detectives arrested Kendrick and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and felon in possession of a firearm.

Kendrick’s trial began in March 2022. Prosecutors presented a case based on eyewitness testimony, including that of Stanley Peck’s sister, who identified Kendrick in court as the man who shot her brother and Tia Pittman. The prosecution’s theory was that Kendrick, who was riding his bike with another man, spotted the couple and decided to rob them. Kendrick’s defense attorney argued that he was wrongfully accused, pointing to a lack of physical or DNA evidence linking him to the crime and suggesting he was targeted because he was a Black man on a bicycle in the area.

Despite the defense’s arguments, Tyrail Kendrick was convicted for the murders of Tia Pittman and Stanley Peck. He was sentenced to prison for the killings and, according to a later community report, is serving his sentence in a state prison.