In the winter of 2020, the community of Ponca City, Oklahoma, was shaken by the violent death of 20-year-old Shon Matthew Delodge. A member of the Ponca Tribe, Shon was fatally shot in the head on the evening of Thursday, January 23, 2020, at a residence in the 1200 block of North Oak. He passed away the following morning, January 24, 2020, in an Oklahoma City hospital.
Remembered for his winning smile and joyful, outgoing nature, Shon had studied carpentry and was a former seventh-grade football champion.
The investigation into the homicide moved swiftly, and within days, four individuals were taken into custody. The first to be apprehended was 22-year-old Triston Anthony Nataya Pappan, who was arrested on Saturday, January 25. His initial charge was accessory to first-degree murder, which was later upgraded. Following Pappan's arrest, a 17-year-old male was arrested the next morning. By Monday, January 27, two more juveniles, a 17-year-old and a 13-year-old, were also in custody in connection with Delodge's death.
As the legal proceedings unfolded, the charges against the suspects were updated and clarified. Pappan and one of the 17-year-olds faced charges of first-degree homicide, first-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit a felony, and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The other two juveniles were charged with accessory to first-degree homicide and conspiracy to commit a felony, with the 13-year-old also facing a charge of attempted escape from custody. Pappan was held on a $10 million bond, while the three juveniles were turned over to the Office of Juvenile Affairs.
The case saw significant developments in the courtroom. One of the 17-year-old suspects, Zavius Alexander Burgess, was charged as an adult. In June 2021, Burgess entered a guilty plea to charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy. Conversely, after a four-day trial in January 2021, a jury found Triston Pappan not guilty on all charges. Pappan maintained his innocence from the beginning, claiming he knew who was responsible but that law enforcement did not initially believe him.
