In the winter of 2016, a promising young man's life was tragically cut short on a cold February evening in Bristol, Pennsylvania. Robert Colter III, a 20-year-old male, was a father to twin girls and a nursing student at Bucks County Community College with a bright future ahead of him. On the evening of February 16th, as he stood outside his home on the 500 block of Bath Street, he was struck by a single gunshot to the head.
Rushed to the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries the following day.
For more than two years, the case remained a painful mystery for his family and the community as Bristol Borough Police and Bucks County Detectives tirelessly pursued leads. The break in the investigation came in July 2018, leading to the arrest of three men: Dwayne J. Lynch, then 29, Rodney N. Beaty, 27, and Jaquan N. Wilkerson, who was 19 at the time but was a minor of 17 when the shooting occurred. The motive appeared to be a case of mistaken identity and reckless violence; the trio had reportedly seen a vehicle belonging to the girlfriend of a rival parked near Colter's house and opened fire. Beaty later told investigators that Lynch and Wilkerson were the shooters, firing multiple shots from the corner of Bath and Mifflin Streets.
The three men were charged with criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, and recklessly endangering another person. Lynch and Beaty also faced charges related to illegal possession of a weapon and providing a firearm to a minor. In May 2019, a jury found Lynch and Wilkerson guilty of the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter and three counts each of recklessly endangering another person. Beaty had initially entered a guilty plea to third-degree murder, but was later allowed to amend his plea to be consistent with the jury's verdict for his co-defendants.
In October 2019, the three men were sentenced for their roles in Colter's death. Dwayne J. Lynch and Jaquan Nyzier Wilkerson received sentences of four and a half to nine years in state prison. Rodney Beaty was sentenced to four to eight years in prison, followed by a three-year term of probation. Prosecutors noted that Beaty received a lighter sentence as he was considered the 'least culpable' of the three. During the emotional sentencing hearings, Robert Colter's father questioned, 'What gave those guys the right to play God? He had plans... He had two beautiful girls he didn't even get to raise.'
