Man pleads guilty in connection to 15-year-old girl's murder in Harrison Twp.
May 9—A man pleaded guilty in connection to the deadly shooting of a 15-year-old in Harrison Twp.
On Thursday Baretta Byrdsong, 27, pleaded guilty to endangering children and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.
An involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide charge were dismissed.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 27.
On Nov. 17, 2023, Byrdsong reportedly drove 15-year-old Heaven Washington to an ATM to get money for a field trip later that day.
Montgomery County Children Services had temporary custody of Washington and had placed her in a group home where Byrdsong was working at, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office.
On the drive back, a vehicle pulled up beside them near Turner Road and Philadelphia Avenue and a gunman fired multiple times.
Montgomery County sheriff's deputies responded, but when they arrived they learned a private vehicle had taken Washington to the hospital.
She died from multiple gunshot wounds at Miami Valley Hospital.
Investigators identified the suspect vehicle as a Toyota RAV-4 and found it near the Englewood Meijer.
The Toyota fled while detectives were surveilling it in an unmarked vehicle, leading to a chase.
The pursuit went through multiple communities, including New Lebanon and Farmersville. The Toyota's average speed was 109.8 mph while on the highway, according to Vandalia Municipal Court records.
Deputies found the SUV abandoned in a field on Havermale Road.
Video surveillance identified 31-year-old Tommy Moreland as a suspect.
Moreland and Byrdsong had an ongoing feud, according to the prosecutor's office.
"This heartbreaking incident serves as a stark reminder of how an ongoing street grudge can escalate to a fatal encounter, tragically taking the life of an innocent little girl on her way to school for a field trip," said Sheriff Rob Streck.
In March, Moreland was found guilty of three counts of felonious assault, two counts of murder and tampering with evidence and one count each of discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer.
He was sentenced to 37 to 46 1/2 years in prison.
Two others, Darrell Bostic and Denisha Taylor, have charges pending in connection to Washington's death.
Bostic, who is accused of being in the SUV with Moreland when he shot Washington, has a final pretrial hearing on Aug. 20 and is scheduled to go to trial on Aug. 25.
He's facing murder, felonious assault, discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and having weapons while under disability charges.
Taylor was indicted on tampering with evidence and obstructing justice charges. Her next hearing is scheduled for May 28.
Washington's estate is suing Byrdsong and the group home, Reflections Group Home LLC, claiming they were negligent in the teen's death.
The case was previously scheduled to go to trial on May 14, but the defense requested the trial be continued, according to court documents.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man arrested for security threat onboard aircraft at Seattle airport
The Brief Six flights were canceled, and two others diverted on Saturday after airline officials say a passenger made threats on a flight at SEA Airport. The FAA announced a ground stop at the Seattle airport for most of the afternoon. All passengers on the Alaskan Airlines flight were safely deplaned, while the suspect was taken into custody. SEATTLE - Passengers were impacted by delays at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Saturday due to a ground stop over security concerns, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. What we know One person was taken into custody as passengers were taken off the plane and sent back into the terminal with additional security screening, according to airport officials. At the time of the incident, there were 68 passengers and four crew members on board. All flights heading to SEA Airport were ordered to be held at their origin, according to FlightAware. The FAA reported increasing gate hold and taxi delays heading into the afternoon. Authorities set the ground stop expiration for 2:45 p.m. Vehicles with flashing lights and other commercial vehicles could be seen gathered behind a plane on the tarmac at around 1:40 p.m. "There was a security incident this afternoon involving Alaska Airlines Flight 2123 operated by Horizon Air from Seattle to Walla Walla, Washington. During taxi to the runway, a guest made a direct threat to the safety of the aircraft to one of our flight attendants. Our crew members followed their procedures and secured the aircraft on a runway away from the airport…We are grateful for the professionalism and care of our crew throughout this incident and appreciate our guests' patience and understanding," read a statement, in part, from the airline on Saturday afternoon. Port Police and Fire officials say an investigation is underway after there was an issue with a plane on the runway. Two runways at the airport shut down on June 14. One runway remained open. What we don't know Heading into Saturday evening, transportation officials have not released details about the specific nature of the reported threats on board an Alaska Airlines flight. The Source Information in this story came from the Federal Aviation Administration, SEA Airport, FlightAware, and Alaska Airlines. Costco to offer early shopping hours for Executive Members. Here's what to know Lone survivor of Air India crash reportedly recalls "loud noise" after takeoff 8 people arrested during anti-ICE protest in Seattle Home of Seattle rapper Macklemore invaded, nanny maced: police WA deputies arrest teens for pistol-whipping boy, armed robberies Cyberattack hits supplier to Whole Foods and PCC; could impact store supplies To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
Wall Street Journal
3 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Minnesota Shootings Shake Capitol Hill, Spark Security Fears
WASHINGTON—On Thursday, Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill were at each other's throats. By Saturday, they were joining to decry political violence and seek more security. The middle-of-the-night killing in Minnesota of a top Democratic state lawmaker and the shooting of a colleague—allegedly by a suspect posing as a police officer who had a list of other elected officials—jolted Capitol Hill, eight years to the day after Republican lawmakers were targeted by a lone gunman at a congressional baseball practice.
Travel Weekly
5 hours ago
- Travel Weekly
Trump administration directs ICE to pause immigration arrests at hotels
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels, after President Donald Trump expressed alarm about the impact of aggressive enforcement, an official said Saturday. The move follows weeks of increased enforcement since Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and main architect of Trump's immigration policies, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would target at least 3,000 arrests a day, up from about 650 a day during the first five months of Trump's second term. Tatum King, an official with ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit, wrote regional leaders on Thursday to halt investigations of the agricultural industry, including meatpackers, restaurants and hotels, according to the New York Times. A U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to the Associated Press the contents of the directive. The Homeland Security Department did not dispute it. "We will follow the President's direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America's streets," Tricia McLaughlin, a Homeland Security spokesperson, said when asked to confirm the directive. The shift suggests Trump's promise of mass deportations has limits if it threatens industries that rely on workers in the country illegally. Trump posted on his Truth Social site Thursday that he disapproved of how farmers and hotels were being affected. "Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace," he wrote. "In many cases the Criminals allowed into our Country by the VERY Stupid Biden Open Borders Policy are applying for those jobs. This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!" While ICE's presence in Los Angeles has captured public attention and prompted Trump to deploy the California National Guard and Marines, immigration authorities have also been a growing presence at farms and factories across the country. Farm bureaus in California say raids at packinghouses and fields are threatening businesses that supply much of the country's food. Dozens of farmworkers were arrested after uniformed agents fanned out on farms northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County, which is known for growing strawberries, lemons and avocados. Others are skipping work as fear spreads. ICE made more than 70 arrests Tuesday at a food packaging company in Omaha, Nebraska. The owner of Glenn Valley Foods said the company was enrolled in a voluntary program to verify workers' immigration status and that it was operating at 30% capacity as it scrambled to find replacements. Tom Homan, the White House border czar, has repeatedly said ICE will send officers into communities and workplaces, particularly in "sanctuary" jurisdictions that limit the agency's access to local jails. Sanctuary cities "will get exactly what they don't want, more officers in the communities and more officers at the work sites," Homan said June 9 on Fox News Channel. "We can't arrest them in the jail, we'll arrest them in the community. If we can't arrest them in community, we're going to increase work site enforcement operation. We're going to flood the zone."
