LANCASTER, Pa. — A trio of suspects charged with conspiring to murder a 19-year-old Lancaster man earlier this year were ordered to stand trial in Lancaster County Court following a preliminary hearing Tuesday, prosecutors said.
Tajhon Veal, 20, Joy Cleveland, 19, and Jalani Morales, 19, all of Lancaster, are charged with homicide and other offenses relating to the fatal shooting of Elliott Corbin III on January 6, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.
Corbin was shot and killed while standing on the balcony of his home near the corner of Prince and Hazel streets in the city, prosecutors said.
In addition to criminal homicide, Veal is charged with carrying a firearm without a license and criminal conspiracy. Cleveland is charged with criminal homicide and criminal conspiracy, and Morales is charged with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy, criminal use of a communication facility, tampering with or fabricating evidence, and two counts of hindering apprehension or prosecution.
In Tuesday's hearing, Magisterial District Judge John Bender held over all charges for Lancaster County Court. All three defendants, who are currently being held in Lancaster County Prison, will be formally arraigned on April 26, according to prosecutors.
Assistant District Attorney Christopher Miller called one witness – Lancaster City Bureau of Police Detective Jared Snader – to the stand during Tuesday's two-hour hearing, prosecutors said.
Snader testified Cleveland and Corbin III were in a relationship and had an altercation before parting ways earlier in the day on Jan. 6.
Further testimony showed Cleveland luring Corbin III out on the balcony of his residence. Corbin III showed concern through responding messages to Cleveland that she was trying “to get him smoked," according to testimony.
At approximately 5:28 p.m., Lancaster Police were dispatched to the 400 block of S. Prince St. for the report of shots fired and found Corbin III suffering from a gunshot wound on the balcony of his residence. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital after being transported there for treatment.
The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office determined the victim’s cause of death as gunshot wound to the body ruled his manner of death as homicide.
Snader testified 9mm firearm shell casings were recovered from the scene. Investigators were able to track the shooter’s movement through video footage from private and Lancaster Safety Coalition (LSC) cameras.
The shooter, identified as Veal, is seen on video traveling from his home on N. Queen St. to the area of the shooting and back to his residence. LSC video shows muzzle flashes from Veal firing a firearm upward at a balcony where Corbin III lived.
Phone data extraction showed Veal and Cleveland, who are first cousins, were in communication prior to the murder.
Snader testified Morales, who is in a relationship with Veal, transported Veal after the killing.
“The plan didn’t work, but they certainly tried,” Miller said. “Without presenting all of our evidence, there’s clearly a conspiracy here between these defendants.”
Defense counsel argued on Veal’s behalf that investigators only had a belief Veal was the shooter and provided a vague description when identifying him.
Cleveland’s defense counsel argued there wasn’t any evidence linking her to the case and her involvement was speculation.
Morales’ defense counsel also argued speculation and asked for the criminal homicide charge to be dropped.
Lancaster Police charged and arrested Veal and Cleveland on Jan. 26, 2024, and Morales on March 15.
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