In the winter of 2017, a burst of gunfire shattered the late afternoon quiet in a home on Columbia Avenue in Swissvale, a borough just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When the chaos subsided, 29-year-old Walter E. Stewart Jr., a male, was found dead at the scene on December 26th, having sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Tragically, he was not the only victim of the violence that day. His 7-year-old son, Jo Lawrence Stewart, was found lying on top of his father, critically injured.
The young boy was rushed to a nearby children's hospital but succumbed to his injuries a short time later. The incident, which investigators believed was an exchange of gunfire, had claimed two lives.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led to the identification of three suspects. Donavan Wilson, 23, Brandon Barnett, 26, and Jacqua Barnett, 30, were arrested and each faced two counts of homicide and conspiracy charges. Authorities suggested that the shooting was the result of a drug deal that had likely escalated into a robbery attempt. According to a witness statement, a scuffle broke out after Wilson allegedly refused to sell drugs outside the house, followed by a series of gunshots. In the aftermath of the shooting, Brandon Barnett was also hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds, indicating the violent nature of the exchange.
Despite the initial arrests and charges, the path to justice took an unexpected turn. In a significant development, the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office was forced to withdraw all homicide and conspiracy charges against Wilson and both Barnett brothers. This decision was precipitated by the death of a key witness in the case. Prosecutors stated that the loss of this witness created evidentiary problems that they could not overcome with the remaining evidence. While the charges were withdrawn, the possibility of them being refiled in the future was left open, leaving the final chapter in the story of Walter E. Stewart Jr.'s death unwritten.
