On June 18, 2014, Jose Alberto Negron-Fernandez, a 21-year-old man from Penn Hills, PA, was tragically shot and killed. The incident occurred during what was believed to be a drug deal gone wrong. According to police reports, Negron-Fernandez was shot once in the torso and pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the incident, two suspects, Traevon Nicholson and Marshall Thompson, both 18 years old at the time, were arrested and charged with homicide, conspiracy, and weapons violations.
A third individual, Daquan Hurt, was also implicated and later charged.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Negron-Fernandez had handed over $800 during the drug deal, but when he attempted to retrieve some of the money and flee, he was shot. Nicholson and Thompson provided conflicting accounts of the events, with Nicholson claiming that Hurt was the one who fired the shot.
In a subsequent trial, Marshall Thompson was found not guilty of homicide and other charges. However, Traevon Nicholson and Daquan Hurt both pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and conspiracy charges. They were each sentenced to five to ten years in prison, with credit for the time already served while awaiting trial.
The case highlighted the dangers associated with drug deals and the tragic consequences that can arise from such encounters. Despite the acquittal of one of the suspects, the legal proceedings and convictions of the others underscored the seriousness of the crime and the pursuit of justice for Negron-Fernandez's death.
