A Beaver County judge has upheld the June trial conviction of Sheldon Jeter Jr. for the May 2020 slaying of Tyric Pugh. Judge Kim Tesla denied a defense motion to overturn the jury’s verdict and also denied their request for a hearing into one of the jurors who served on the case.
Tesla’s 36-page opinion summarizes the case against Jeter as presented by prosecutors during his trial, and provides an in-depth legal analysis of why the defense’s requests were not granted by the court.
“In this case, it is clear that (Pugh) was unlawfully killed,” wrote Tesla. “There is also sufficient evidence that (Jeter) is the person who murdered (Pugh).”
Tesla’s opinion, issued on November 22, detailed the extensive evidence that established Jeter’s guilt in the minds of jurors during his trial:
“(Jeter) was the last person with (Pugh). At 11:10 p.m., he drove (Pugh) to Ms. Williams’s house in the Plan 6 area in a Chevrolet Traverse — he told the police that there was no one else in the Traverse and that no one else drove it afterwards. At 11:36 p.m., surveillance video shows the Traverse turning from Cochran Street (the extension of Kiehl Street) onto Franklin Avenue. (Jeter) admitted that he drove ‘around the bend’ on Kiehl Street on his way back to 127 Orchard Street. At 11:39 p.m., Joseph Richardson called 911 to report finding (Pugh’s) body, which was still bleeding on the ground at the bend in Kiehl Street. At 11:39 p.m., (Jeter) returned to 127 Orchard Street alone. (Jeter) gave inconsistent stories about where (Pugh) was when he left him. He said on the phone that (Pugh) had been shot, despite the police not telling him that.
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