Jeannette resident pleads guilty to shooting armed man 8 times, killing him
A Jeannette man will spend up to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty last week to third-degree murder for fatally shooting an armed man in September in a Jeannette apartment.
Prosecutors originally claimed Jamere Ramone Glanton, 19, intentionally shot and killed Lamone Rashaad McCoy, 20, of Pittsburgh on Sept. 14 during a confrontation where both men had guns.
Glanton's plea deal was approved Monday by Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani as jury selection in the murder trial was set to begin. Feliciani ordered Glanton to serve 8 1⁄2 to 18 years in prison. A first-degree murder conviction would have resulted in a mandatory life prison sentence.
“The defendant had an argument for self-defense,” Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro said. “The evidence showed the victim was in possession of an assault rifle at the time he was shot.”
The defense previously argued Glanton shot McCoy in self-defense, but Ciaramitaro said the prosecution had a different theory. Evidence showed McCoy was shot eight times, including five times in the face and head.
“This is an appropriate resolution of the matter,” Ciaramitaro said of Glanton's plea.
During Glanton's preliminary hearing last year, witnesses testified McCoy, also known as “Mizzie,” started waving an automatic rifle at the South Seventh Street apartment, claiming he had been robbed of $4,000 worth of heroin.
Ciaramitaro said the prosecution wasn't able to substantiate that drugs led to the murder, only that McCoy contended that money and a cellphone were stolen from him.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.
