Norman Sweeney, a 49-year-old man from Charleston, was killed on September 9, 2022, on the city's West Side. The shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Wyoming Street, an area where neighbors later described deep concern about violence and the safety of children living nearby. Early reports said Sweeney suffered a single gunshot wound and was pronounced dead after the shooting.
At first, Charleston police said no one was in custody and there was no immediate public word on a suspect, making his death the city's 12th homicide investigation of the year.
As investigators reviewed the case, surveillance footage and other evidence began to shape the account of what police believed happened. Authorities later alleged that Tyran Boisa Gray, a Detroit man, ran between homes on Wyoming Street toward Sweeney, who was near his vehicle and standing with his daughter, and fired the shot that killed him. Police also alleged that Cortni Ann Stovall was connected to the getaway, driving a white Kia K5 before and after the shooting. Investigators said video showed the vehicle near the scene, and prosecutors later argued that Stovall had rented the car on the day Sweeney was killed and extended the rental for several days.
Court records and testimony later revealed more about the suspected motive. Investigators said messages found during the investigation suggested Gray was angry about a stolen package, and authorities connected that anger to the shooting. Police said messages before the homicide included references to finding Sweeney and language investigators interpreted as a threat. During later court proceedings, the judge also described the killing as drug-related, saying that was the only motive that surfaced and that there was no other clear reason Sweeney would have been shot in the street.
Stovall was arrested in September 2022 and was initially charged with murder. Gray was taken into custody in Detroit on October 13, 2022, while being held on a West Virginia murder warrant. Prosecutors alleged Gray was the gunman and that Stovall helped him before and after the killing. Stovall's defense argued that she did not pull the trigger and challenged how clearly the state could prove her knowledge or intent before the shooting. Prosecutors, however, pointed to surveillance footage, the rental vehicle, phone evidence, and messages they said showed her involvement.
The case eventually moved through Kanawha County court with both suspects facing serious consequences. Stovall later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. In court, she admitted she took Gray to another home after the shooting and was later paid $600 to take him to Detroit. She ultimately received a five-year prison sentence with credit for time already served and was placed on one year of supervised probation after having already spent more than 600 days in jail.
Gray went to trial in April 2024. His defense claimed someone else shot Sweeney, and Gray did not take the stand. A Kanawha County jury convicted him of first-degree murder and three firearm-related charges, including use or presentment of a firearm during the commission of a felony, wanton endangerment with a firearm, and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. The jury found him not guilty of conspiracy to commit possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. The jury recommended mercy on the murder conviction, which meant parole would eventually be possible.
At sentencing in June 2024, Gray maintained that he was not guilty. Judge Carrie Webster sentenced him to life in prison with mercy for first-degree murder, along with additional consecutive sentences of five years each for wanton endangerment with a firearm and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. A separate five-year sentence for use or presentment of a firearm during a felony was ordered to run concurrently. Under the sentence, Gray would become eligible for parole after 20 years. In the courtroom, Farrah Wylie, who had children with Sweeney, spoke about the pain of losing him, describing a grief that no one should have to carry. The case closed with Gray convicted as the shooter and Stovall punished for her role after the killing.
