Jocelyn Blair, a 31-year-old woman, was fatally shot on December 19, 2010, in Gary, Indiana. Her death was not a random act but a calculated murder-for-hire plot orchestrated to prevent her from testifying as a key witness in an attempted murder case. Blair, also known by the nickname 'Pie Face,' was at the Coney Island Restaurant at 2490 Broadway when she was shot multiple times.
The investigation into her death revealed a conspiracy to silence her.
Ronnie Major, Blair's former boyfriend, had been charged with attempted murder in a prior incident where Blair was the victim. To stop her from testifying against him, Major allegedly hired Antoine J. Gates to kill her for approximately $10,000. Michael Rivera was also implicated as a co-conspirator in the scheme. The plan involved luring Blair to the restaurant where the fatal shooting occurred.
Nearly six years after Jocelyn Blair's murder, in 2016, a significant breakthrough in the case led to charges against the three men. Ronnie Major, Antoine J. Gates, and Michael Rivera were all charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. A crucial piece of evidence came from Gates' stepson, Jamell Brooks, who identified Gates as the shooter and Major as the one who ordered the killing. Following their arrests, the defendants were held in police custody without bail as they awaited legal proceedings.
