On the evening of September 19, 2013, Jason Scott McClay, a 40-year-old white male, was working a shift as a manager at a Rite Aid in Chester, Pennsylvania. A Navy veteran, McClay was filling in for another manager that night, a fateful decision that placed him in the path of a planned robbery. Shortly before 10 p.m., two individuals entered the store and a confrontation ensued, culminating in McClay being fatally shot in the head.
The assailants then fled the scene.
The investigation into the murder of Jason McClay quickly revealed that it was an inside job, orchestrated by a Rite Aid loss-prevention officer named Tariq Mahmud. Mahmud had provided information to a group of friends from Philadelphia, planning the robbery for a night when he knew a significant amount of cash would be in the safe. However, the plan went awry as they did not expect McClay to be working that evening. Evidence, including text messages between the co-conspirators, showed a growing animosity towards McClay, whom they referred to as the 'white bull,' and indicated an intent to harm him.
Within days, authorities began making arrests. The first to be apprehended was David Wiggins, whose fingerprints were found at the scene. Soon after, four other individuals were taken into custody: Rita Pultro, who was identified as the shooter; Tariq Mahmud, the inside man; Christopher Parks, the getaway driver; and Ashaniere White, who was involved in the planning. The investigation pieced together the conspiracy through witness statements and the suspects' own text message conversations, which detailed the planning and the aftermath of the murder.
The legal process brought convictions for all five individuals involved. Ashaniere White and Christopher Parks pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, robbery, and conspiracy, and both testified against their co-defendants. In May 2015, Tariq Mahmud and David Wiggins were found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Rita Pultro, the woman who fired the fatal shot, was convicted of first-degree murder and also received a sentence of life in prison without parole.
