DA seeks first-degree murder conviction as Erie woman arraigned in New Year's killing
The Erie County District Attorney's Office is seeking a first-degree murder conviction against a 27-year-old Erie woman charged in the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old woman at a New Year's party on Jan. 1 — a killing the prosecution said stemmed from a dispute over a push.
The defendant, Shakeyah T. Barnes, would face a mandatory sentence of life in state prison with no parole if she is convicted at a trial tentatively scheduled for January in Erie County Common Pleas Court.
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Barnes was arraigned on homicide and other charges on May 16 before Judge David Ridge, who set the tentative trial date. Following the arraignment, the prosecutor on the case, Assistant District Attorney Hillary Hoffman, said she is seeking a conviction for first-degree murder, a premeditated killing.
Barnes is in the Erie County Prison with no bond set because she is charged with first-degree murder. She appeared at the arraignment in a prison uniform, and, as is typical at arraignments, said little other than to tell the judge she understood the charges.
Barnes is accused of killing Jalea Turner and wounding 22-year-old Kyteem Pullium in the leg outside of a building in the 900 block of West 19th Street that was hosting a ticket-only New Year's party for 50 to 100 people.
The Erie police said the shooting happened at about 12:37 a.m. Jan. 1 as the victims stepped outside of the building, near Plum Street.
The witnesses against Barnes include her girlfriend. She testified at Barnes' preliminary hearing in April that Barnes was in an altercation with a man who pushed her at the party, and that the shooting grew out of that dispute.
Barnes' lawyer, Eric Hackwelder, unsuccessfully argued at the preliminary hearing that the charges against Barnes should be dismissed due to lack of evidence. He said the police lacked ballistics evidence that connects Barnes to the killing.
The incident was caught on surveillance video. It shows, from a distance, muzzle flashes and an unrecognizable person running from the scene.
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Barnes is also charged with the first-degree felony of attempted homicide; two counts of aggravated assault as a first-degree felony; two counts of aggravated assault as a second-degree felony; 10 counts of recklessly endangering another person as a second-degree misdemeanor; and one count of carrying a firearm without a license, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Barnes' roommate also testified for the prosecution at the preliminary hearing. He said he did not attend the New Year's Eve party. But he said Barnes told him later that a man was getting physical with her at the party and she ended up shooting at him, and that a girl got shot.
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com or 814-870-1813.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: New Year's killing: First-degree murder conviction sought in Erie
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