In the quiet borough of Tarentum, Pennsylvania, the life of 30-year-old Arquwonna Wright was tragically cut short on the night of December 16, 2021. A mother of two, she had moved to the area from Youngstown, Ohio, seeking a fresh start. That evening, just after 11 p.m., she was found shot multiple times near the intersection of Main Street and Fifth Avenue, not far from her own home.
First responders pronounced her dead at the scene, the cause later confirmed by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office as gunshot wounds to the head and back, ruling her death a homicide.
The investigation into Arquwonna’s death quickly focused on a suspect, DaShawn Frederick, a 28-year-old Wilkinsburg man who was the father of her infant child. Frederick, an active-duty Army soldier stationed in Hawaii, was on leave in the Pittsburgh area at the time of the shooting. Investigators discovered that on the day of the killing, he had rented a car from Pittsburgh International Airport and driven to Tarentum. Surveillance footage from the scene captured Arquwonna approaching the rented SUV at a stop sign, followed by the chilling sight of muzzle flashes from within the vehicle. Evidence showed a brief phone call and a text message were exchanged between Wright and Frederick just moments before the fatal encounter.
In the days following the shooting, as the community grappled with the violent loss, law enforcement identified Frederick as the primary suspect. He had purchased two firearms and ammunition the day before the incident, and shell casings found at the scene matched his purchase. Gunshot residue was also discovered inside the rental car, which Frederick returned to the airport on December 20. A few days later, on December 23, DaShawn Frederick turned himself in to authorities at Pittsburgh Municipal Court and was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with criminal homicide.
Ultimately, DaShawn Frederick pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, making terroristic threats, and endangering the welfare of children. In a negotiated plea deal, he was sentenced to serve 25 to 50 years in prison for the murder of the mother of his child. During the court proceedings, Arquwonna's twin sister shared her heartbreak and the immense loss felt by their family, particularly for Arquwonna's two young children who were left without their mother and are now in the care of their aunt.
