On the evening of October 15, 2022, Betty Jean Averytt, a 59-year-old woman known to many as 'Beautiful Brown Betty,' was waiting at a bus stop on Cedar Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tragically, she was caught in the crossfire of a shootout that erupted nearby and lost her life. Averytt, a mother and grandmother, was an innocent bystander in the violent altercation.
The shooting, which also claimed the lives of 33-year-old Jacquelyn Mehalic and 20-year-old John Hornezes Jr.,
stemmed from a dispute at a nearby gas station. Investigators determined that Hornezes was one of the shooters in the incident. The event was initially described by police as being related to 'gang activity,' though this characterization was later qualified to describe groups of individuals affiliated through various interests rather than traditional gangs.
In the weeks following the shooting, authorities made several arrests. Jaylone D. Hines, 21, Charron Troutman, 19, and Samuel Pegues, 30, were taken into custody. Hines was charged with two counts of criminal homicide for the deaths of Averytt and Mehalic. Troutman and Pegues initially faced homicide charges in connection with the death of Hornezes.
The legal proceedings brought a series of developments. In January 2023, the homicide charges against Troutman and Pegues were dropped after autopsy reports indicated that the bullet trajectory did not align with their positions during the shootout. However, they still faced other charges, including attempted homicide and aggravated assault. In June 2025, Charron Troutman pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy, two counts of aggravated assault, and multiple weapons charges, receiving a sentence of eight to twelve years in prison.
Jaylone Hines proceeded to trial on the homicide charges for the deaths of Betty Averytt and Jacquelyn Mehalic. In a surprising turn of events in January 2026, a jury found Hines not guilty on all homicide, attempted homicide, and aggravated assault charges. His defense successfully argued that he had acted in self-defense during the shootout.
