On a December afternoon in 2022, a young woman's life was tragically cut short in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Jani Bostic, a 21-year-old female from East Stroudsburg, was sitting in the driver's seat of her car on Butztown Road when she was fatally shot. The incident occurred around 2:55 p.m. on December 10th. Emergency services rushed her to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, but she succumbed to a gunshot wound to the head four days later. The Lehigh County coroner subsequently ruled her death a homicide.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to a suspect. Witnesses reported seeing a man in a dark hooded sweatshirt exit the rear passenger side of Bostic's vehicle and flee into a nearby home. Police detained everyone within the residence for questioning. Inside the home, they discovered a semiautomatic pistol hidden in a toilet tank. This man was identified as 21-year-old Marquis M. Watkins of Bethlehem. A gunshot residue test performed on Watkins came back positive.
Further investigation revealed the motive behind the fatal encounter. Watkins had arranged to buy marijuana from Bostic and another man who was in the car with her. During the transaction, Watkins robbed them of the marijuana and then opened fire, striking Bostic. After the shooting, the other man in the vehicle reportedly returned fire in Watkins' direction as he fled.
Marquis Michael Watkins was arrested and faced a series of charges, including first-degree murder, attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, and illegal firearm possession. He denied his involvement in the shooting. Following a four-day jury trial, Watkins was convicted of second-degree murder, robbery, and firearms offenses. The conviction for second-degree murder carried a mandatory life sentence. Subsequently, a judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
