On a summer evening in Pittsburgh's Brighton Heights neighborhood, 27-year-old Deona Barnett, a mother of five who was six weeks pregnant, was walking home alone. It was just after 9 p.m. on August 4, 2015, when a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness and opened fire, striking her multiple times before fleeing the scene. Neighbors heard the gunshots and Deona's screams and rushed to her side, finding her on the sidewalk with her belongings scattered around her.
One neighbor knelt by her, holding her hand and trying to keep her conscious until paramedics arrived.
As she was being transported to the hospital, Deona Barnett was able to communicate a vital piece of information to the paramedics; she informed them that she was pregnant. In a fleeting moment of consciousness while in the ambulance, a police officer asked who had shot her. Twice, she uttered the name, 'Richard.' Less than an hour after the shooting, Deona succumbed to her injuries at UPMC Mercy Hospital.
The investigation into Deona's murder was met with immediate challenges. Witnesses could only describe the assailant as a 'shadowy figure,' making identification difficult in the dimly lit street. Detectives believed the shooter was on foot and that Deona had been specifically targeted as she was walking by herself. Despite her dying declaration, police were unable to make any arrests, and no suspect was publicly identified.
In the years that followed, Deona Barnett's case grew cold. In 2017, investigators released new details to the public in an appeal for information, including Deona's last words and a description of a silver or gray 2007 to 2009 Saturn XR that was seen leaving the area at the time of the shooting. The motive for the killing remained unclear, though police stated it was not a robbery. To this day, the murder of Deona Barnett remains unsolved, and no arrests have been made in connection with her death, leaving her family and community still searching for answers and justice.
