Man found guilty in IUP student's murder
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A man was found guilty in the 2020 shooting death of an Indiana University of Pennsylvania college student.
A jury found Terrion Gates guilty of second-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with the death of 20-year-old Jaedyn Wright, a news release on Friday from Indiana County District Attorney Robert Manzi said. Authorities said the 20-year-old from Rankin was killed at the Carriage House Apartments near IUP's campus in October 2020 during a drug deal gone wrong.
Friday's news release said Gates and three other people planned to rob Wright. While the three other suspects only planned to rob the victim, Gates "escalated the situation" by bringing a gun and killing Wright, the news release said.
Gates, who was on the run before being arrested in Altoona in March 2021, is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 15. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The jury selection took place on Sept. 23, followed by testimony from Sept. 24 to Sept. 26. The jury deliberated for about 2 hours and 30 minutes before returning a guilty verdict.
The three other suspects in the case are Isabella Edmonds, Delmar Chatman and Isaiah Moore, the Indiana Gazette reported. They all face numerous charges, including homicide and robbery. They are all reportedly awaiting their next court dates.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, located in Indiana County, had more than 9,000 students enrolled in the fall of 2023.