Man found guilty of first-degree murder in Aliquippa shooting death

Aliquippa, Pa. — The jury has found Sheldon Jeter, Jr. guilty of first-degree murder in his homicide trial. He’s accused of killing 30-year-old Tyric Pugh in Aliquippa.

In May 2020, police say, Pugh was found dead lying on Kiehl Street in Aliquippa, having been shot seven times and five were in the head.

Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier said his office and Pugh’s family is “very pleased with the jury’s verdict we want to make sure the emphasis going forward is a celebration of Tyric’s life.”

The defense said there’s no motive in this case. Pugh was Jeter’s childhood friend and roommate.

“I think the DA pointing out how Vicious execution style of a shooting this was a tragedy that it was it further is it self from Sheldon Jeter it doesn’t make it closer,” explained Jeter’s attorney, Mike Santicola.

Jury went into deliberations late Tuesday after closing arguments. Prosecutors said multiple times on Tuesday that all roads lead to Sheldon Jeter.

They said Jeter was the last person seen with Pugh. Surveillance video shows Jeter’s car in the area at around the time of the murder. Also, gunshot residue was found in his car and the murder weapon under Jeter’s mattress.

They said Jeter’s gun is capable of firing seven bullets, and four of the rounds at the scene matched the ammunition found in Jeter’s room.

However, the defense argued, no forensic evidence and no eyewitnesses were presented in this case, and Jeter was targeted from the beginning.

“This is a substantial burden off the people of Aliquippa and the families involved in this case as you know there’s a lot of pressure on the family in Aliquippa not just from this case but events that have happened before,” Lozier said.

This is the second time Jeter has been questioned in a murder investigation. The first was in the high-profile unsolved case of Beaver County schoolteacher Rachael DelTondo.

DelTondo was gunned down in her parents’ driveway on Mother’s Day three years ago.

The two had an on-again, off-again relationship. Jeter denied any involvement in her death and was never charged.

Jeter is scheduled for sentencing on July 21. First degree murder in Pennsylvania comes with a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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