PITTSBURGH — A man has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and a firearms charge in a shooting death in the parking lot of a western Pennsylvania mall almost two years ago.
Lawrence Murphy, 21, of Braddock entered the plea Monday as part of an agreement with Allegheny County prosecutors that included a recommendation for a 15- to 30-year state prison sentence, the Tribune-Review reported.
Authorities said police were called to the Monroeville mall about 17 miles (27 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh in October 2020 and found 20-year-old Saheed Gayle shot. Prosecutors said he argued at the mall with Murphy and a woman, followed them to the parking lot and was shot by the defendant, who turned himself in nine days later.
Before the hearing, officials said a relative of the victim allegedly charged at the defendant in the courtroom but was restrained by a sheriff's deputy and three city police officers. Authorities said the 22-year-old man will be charged by summons with disorderly conduct, harassment and resisting arrest.
