Lawrence Jay Cannon, a 31-year-old male, was killed on October 16, 2018, inside the New Castle, Pennsylvania, home of Nichole Pumphrey, the woman he was dating. What began as a 911 call to Pumphrey's West North Street residence became a triple-homicide investigation after New Castle police arrived and found Cannon and Pumphrey in the living room, both dead from gunshot wounds to the head. Pumphrey's 10-year-old daughter, Amariah Emery, was also found dead from a gunshot wound. Investigators reported no signs of forced entry or a struggle, and they recovered three. 40-caliber shell casings inside the home, including one between Pumphrey and Cannon and another on the stairs.
Four other children were inside the house when the shooting happened. Investigators later said those surviving children were unharmed, but their statements became important to the case. One child told authorities that Steven Procopio, who had been connected to the family and had reportedly babysat Pumphrey's children, was present during the violence. According to court records, the child described hearing gunshots, going downstairs with Amariah, and seeing Procopio shoot Amariah. Cannon's father, Lawrence Williams, said after an early hearing that his son had four children and that the family was left asking why he had been killed. Williams also said Cannon had been dating Pumphrey but did not know Procopio or Anthony Cooper.
The investigation quickly focused on Procopio and Anthony “Mook” Cooper. Procopio initially told police he had been at Pumphrey's home the night before the murders but said he left around 9:30 p.m. and did not return. He denied being involved and suggested Cooper was the only person he knew with a firearm. In later statements, however, Procopio admitted he went with Cooper to Pumphrey's residence. He claimed Cooper said they were going to get a blunt and cigarettes, but instead drove to Pumphrey's home. Procopio said he believed they were going there to talk about money and drugs, then described Cooper taking out a gun and entering while Procopio stayed outside as a lookout. He said he heard Pumphrey say she had done nothing, then heard gunshots, and he later saw the children coming down the stairs before another shot was fired.
Authorities arrested Procopio, who was 19 at the time, and charged him with three counts of criminal homicide. Cooper, also 19, was wanted on homicide, conspiracy, and firearms charges and was arrested by federal marshals in Detroit, Michigan, later in October 2018 before being returned to Pennsylvania for prosecution. A third person, Jody Hammer, was also drawn into the case. Hammer, who was Procopio's mother and with whom Procopio and Cooper were associated, was initially charged with obstruction-related offenses and later faced homicide and robbery-related allegations. Police alleged the deaths occurred during a robbery plan involving Pumphrey and Cannon.
The case against Hammer did not last. In April 2019, prosecutors and New Castle police withdrew all charges against her, and she was released from jail. The district attorney declined to publicly explain the decision at that time. Charges remained against Procopio and Cooper.
Cooper ultimately pleaded guilty in connection with the murders of Pumphrey and Cannon. Reports described him as having been at the home with Procopio that night, and court records state that Cooper pleaded guilty to the murders of Pumphrey and Cannon. He was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in state prison.
Procopio went to trial in October 2022. During the proceedings, prosecutors presented testimony from witnesses including a surviving child and a jailhouse witness. The jailhouse witness testified that Procopio told him that Procopio, Cooper, and Hammer had planned to rob Pumphrey and Cannon for money and drugs, and that the plan involved separating Pumphrey while the men robbed Cannon. According to that testimony, Procopio said Cooper shot Pumphrey and Cannon, and Procopio shot Amariah before firing at another child who ran upstairs. By the close of the Commonwealth's case, the charges tied directly to Cannon's murder were withdrawn against Procopio, but the jury still convicted him of two counts of second-degree murder related to Pumphrey and Amariah, and one count of third-degree murder related to Amariah.
On December 9, 2022, Procopio was sentenced to life imprisonment. Separate reports described the punishment as two life sentences without the possibility of parole. Procopio later appealed, challenging the evidence and trial rulings, but the Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the judgment of sentence in 2025. The court's decision left his life sentence in place, while Cooper's guilty plea and 15-to-30-year sentence remained the known punishment directly tied to the murders of Cannon and Pumphrey.
