Rashad Freeman, an 18-year-old male of African American ethnicity, tragically lost his life on March 25, 2014, in Pittsburgh, PA. His death was part of a series of violent incidents that occurred in the Garfield neighborhood. Rashad was found shot and killed inside a black Cadillac Escalade that had crashed into the back of a church. The incident was part of a triple murder case that also claimed the lives of Jamarow Trowery, 36, and Rasheed Strader, 18.
The suspect in these murders,
Theodore Smedley, a 20-year-old male from Troy Hill, was indicted by a grand jury on charges related to the deaths of all three victims. Smedley was already in custody for the third-degree murder of Rasheed Strader, which occurred just one day before the deaths of Trowery and Freeman. The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office initially sought the death penalty for Smedley due to the severity of the crimes and his prior felony convictions.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Smedley allegedly wrote rap lyrics that referred to the murders, which added to the evidence against him. Despite the serious nature of the charges, Smedley eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter and a firearms charge for the deaths of Trowery and Freeman. He was sentenced to five to ten years in prison, to be served consecutively with a 20- to 40-year term for the murder of Rasheed Strader.
The case highlighted the challenges faced by law enforcement and the judicial system in dealing with violent crimes and the pursuit of justice for the victims and their families. The tragic loss of Rashad Freeman and the other victims underscored the impact of such crimes on the community and the importance of effective law enforcement and judicial processes.
