In a tragic turn of events on the night of June 23, 2022, 34-year-old Samantha Harden was fatally shot outside McPatton's Pub on North Gallatin Avenue in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Described by her loved ones as a hardworking and devoted mother to her 12-year-old son, Harden was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a dispute that she had no part in.
Her father remembered her as a strong and giving person who would do anything for anyone.
The incident began with a verbal altercation inside the bar between a man and Terrell Maurice Jones, 33, of Uniontown. Following the argument, Jones allegedly left the pub, only to return a short time later in a white Mercedes Benz. Surveillance footage showed the vehicle heading down East Kerr Street before circling back. It was then that multiple shots were fired from the car, with one of the bullets striking Harden in the head. An informant later told police that the man who had argued with Jones had used Harden as a human shield.
For nearly a year, Samantha Harden's family waited for justice. In April 2023, a breakthrough in the case came when the Fayette County District Attorney announced that Terrell Maurice Jones had been charged with criminal homicide in her death. The charges were the result of a grand jury investigation. In addition to criminal homicide, Jones faced a litany of other charges, including two counts of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and illegal possession of a firearm. He was arraigned and held in the Fayette County Jail without bail.
The legal proceedings against Jones have been fraught with delays. In April 2026, a judge declared a mistrial just as jury selection was beginning. A prospective juror revealed that she knew Jones from the Washington County jail where he was being held, which the judge determined had tainted the jury pool. A new trial was initially scheduled for May of the same year. However, in August 2024, the trial was postponed to February 2025 at the request of the defense for more time to prepare, a delay that came after Jones rejected a plea deal of 30 to 60 years in prison.
