On August 20, 2025, Judge William T. Tully sentenced Brianna Smith, Michael Roberts, Jr., and Kani Little following their convictions by a jury in a June 2025 trial for attempted murder and related offenses. Before proceeding to sentencing, the Court received victim impact statements, including one from the now 7-year-old victim of the shooting who narrowly survived her injuries. All of the victim impact statements asked for punishment for the individuals who nearly took several children’s lives. They also conveyed hope that the defendants learned from this experience.
Judge Tully first addressed the defendants as a group, speaking to the horrendous nature of their conduct and a chain of events driven by anger, illegal drugs, and impulse that endangered numerous people. He cited the need to punish the awful acts and to also send a message of deterrence. The sentences of the defendants should be a caution to anyone in a similar circumstance to think before acting. This case began with hot-headed, impulsive decisions to retaliate against a specific individual who had robbed Kani Little of illegal drugs and money. The ripple effect of those momentary decisions was monumental. They forever impacted the lives of the victims and their families, as well as the families of these defendants, including their children.
The jury convicted Brianna Smith, age 27, for her role as an accomplice in this case. Smith did not pull the trigger of a firearm during this incident. But she provided one of the guns and she knew the address where they could seek out their target. She drove the gunmen to that location, and she watched as they shot into a home where she knew children resided. Judge Tully sentenced her to spend between 26 and 52 years incarcerated in a State Correctional Institution for her role in these crimes.
The jury convicted Michael Roberts, Jr., age 31, for his role as a shooter in this case. Roberts fired some of the 26 rounds at the house where the children were sleeping on that night. He was a person barred from firearm possession at the time of this incident because of his prior record. For his role in this crime, Judge Tully sentenced him to spend between 26 and 52 years incarcerated in a State Correctional Institution.
Kani Litte, age 28, pleaded guilty on the fifth day of trial after taking the stand and admitting responsibility for this shooting. Little admitted to being involved and starting the chain events that led to the shooting, but he denied that he fired a gun. At trial, the forensic evidence showed that three separate firearms were used in the shooting. After being robbed earlier in the evening, Little gathered the other co-defendants and sought revenge. However, when they arrived at the target home, they opened fired on a figure in the window, who was not their intended target. For his role, Judge Tully sentenced Little to between 27 and 54 years of incarceration in a State Correctional Facility.
This successful prosecution resulted from the tireless efforts of the Swatara Township Police Department. Detective Patrick Corkle, the arresting officer, and every detective in the department spent an enormous amount of time, effort, and energy tracking down the witnesses and evidence needed to convict the individuals involved in this matter. Chief Deputy District Attorney Katie Adam and Deputy District Attorney Meredith Pfundheller tried the case on behalf of the Commonwealth.
Location
Harrisburg, PA 17101