The State Supreme Court justices will soon decide if an evidentiary hearing will be granted for Sheldon Jeter, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of his friend, Tyrek Pugh, in 2020.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Man sentenced to life in prison for murder of childhood friend in Aliquippa
Jeter was the last person with Pugh the night he was killed in Aliquippa. Police found the murder weapon underneath his mattress, and surveillance video shows Jeter’s car near the scene of the murder.
Despite the guilty verdict and life sentence, Jeter’s attorney argued an evidentiary hearing should be granted because of a conversation a juror had with her father while the jury was in deliberations.
Jurors are not permitted to talk to anyone about the case outside of deliberations.
According to court papers, the juror and her father discussed the case, and she said she had a hard time deciding what to do, so she and her father “prayed about it.” Then, she made her decision.
The big question is what were the specifics of that conversation, and did it have anything to do with the Rachael DelTondo murder case?
Jeter was named the “prime suspect” in Deltondo’s murder but was never charged.
The juror and her father lived right next door to DelTondo — when DelTondo, a teacher, was murdered in her parents’ driveway on Mother’s Day in 2018.
Jeter’s attorney argued it’s important to know how much that conversation influenced the juror’s thoughts about Jeter, and if Jeter’s possible involvement with DelTondo’s death was discussed.
If granted the hearing, that could lead to the possibility of a new trial.
No one has ever been charged in Rachel DelTondo’s death, but the former Beaver County District Attorney told us Jeter is the prime suspect.
The justices have not yet made a decision.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW