March 15, 2016- Commonwealth v. Dominique Baines:  On March 15, 2016 24-year-old Harrisburg resident Dominique Baines pled guilty before the Honorable Judge John F. Cherry to charges of Third Degree Murder, Attempted Murder, Person Not to Possess a Firearm, and Carrying a Firearm Without a License.  Deputy District Attorney Chris Jason was seeking a First Degree Murder conviction against the defendant at trial. After jury selection and opening statements, however, the defendant indicated an interest in pleading guilty. With the agreement of the victims’ family and the District Attorney, the defendant pled guilty and was immediately sentenced to 30 to 60 years’ incarceration.

The charges stem from an incident occurring around 11:30 p.m. on May 16, 2015 in Harrisburg City. Months prior, the defendant had stayed at the home of victim Tiara Nash-Johnson, whose family he had known for years, over a weekend when he had nowhere else to go. Tiara also lent the defendant $40 as he was leaving the home. The defendant then failed to repay Tiara, and avoided her completely until the night of the shooting. That evening, the defendant and two of his friends were walking home from a memorial for a friend who was murdered in the south side of Harrisburg City. The victims, Tiara and her brother Cordell Nash-Matthews, were in the area of South 14th Street and Thompson alley also celebrating the birthday of their own friend who had been murdered. Baines and his friends walked past, and Tiara mentioned to her brother that the defendant owed her $40. Cordell confronted Baines. One of the defendant’s friends intervened and engaged Cordell in a verbal argument a few feet away from Baines.

Tiara attempted to calm Baines down in the middle of this altercation, but while doing so observed him draw a handgun from his pocket. Tiara begged Baines not to shoot, and he told her he was “just going to fuck with y’all”. Tiara then turned around to calm Cordell down, and immediately heard a gunshot followed by three in rapid succession. Tiara grabbed her brother in an attempt to remove both from the situation, but she was shot in the wrist and her brother was shot in the back and both arms. Cordell died from his wounds, and Tiara suffered permanent nerve damage in her arm. A witness recounts Baines saying before he shot Tiara and Cordell that he “doesn’t fight, he shoots to kill.”

Baines and his friends ran from the scene, and Baines was not arrested until he agreed to surrender himself to Chief Thomas Carter of the Harrisburg Bureau of Police. No firearm was ever recovered. Detective Richard Gibney of the Harrisburg Bureau of Police led the investigation into the shooting. Through his diligence, Detective Gibney was able to identify and obtain voluntary statements from Tiara and four other eyewitnesses to the shooting, all of whom were able and willing to testify at trial against the defendant.

James Matthews, Cordell’s father, notes that there is a significant gun and violence problem in Harrisburg City. He expresses his sorrow over his family’s tragedy, and also forgiveness for the defendant. “He has to deal with the consequences of his actions. I’m not angry with him. I was at one time, but not now. I just hope he has a productive life and gives people the insight to stop them from committing the same types of crimes he has.” Robin Nash, mother of both Cordell and Tiara, reminds everyone that even their thoughtless actions can have tragic consequences for victims and their families. “Think before you act – before you pull a gun, before you cause someone else and their family this kind of pain.”

Prosecuting Deputy District Attorney Chris Jason recognizes that this case, unlike many recent shooting investigations in Harrisburg City, was solved through an extraordinary level of cooperation between police and witnesses to the crime. “This case serves as a somber reminder that the best way to combat senseless violence is through cooperation between the victims (and communities) suffering that violence and the police who are seeking to prevent it. A young man lost his life – and his sister the use of her hand – over $40. The Harrisburg community cannot continue to allow this tragic loss, and must work together to hold accountable those who continue to cause it. This resolution provides justice for the Nash and Matthews families, and is another example that violence can be stopped if everyone works together."