Nearly five years after 24-year-old Damon Lincoln was shot and killed inside his Mt. Oliver home, police have made an arrest in the case.
Allegheny County police announced that David Barlow has been charged in connection with Lincoln’s death. DNA evidence and a witness recently came forward.
Lincoln was killed in 2020 after police say a masked man, who police say is David Barlow, forced him inside his Anthony Street home. Lincoln’s mother, Janet Dearolf, said she heard a commotion and rushed downstairs. Dearolf says she was beaten, and when her son came to protect her, Lincoln was shot.
In early 2025, according to investigators, a person came forward and told police that Barlow admitted to the killing, saying he had bled at the scene and feared he would eventually be caught. Police collected a DNA sample from Barlow.
Police said after his interview, Barlow told them he felt “very anxious” and was planning to leave for Georgia to be with his mother.
DNA samples found that Barlow’s DNA matched the DNA found at the scene.
Lincoln’s mother, Janet Dearolf told Channel 11 in 2022 that she believed justice would eventually come. This week, she said she finally got the call she had been waiting for.
“I got a phone call and it said ‘County Police’ and my heart just fell,” Dearolf said. “I said, ‘Please let this be a call that they arrested someone,’ and sure enough, it was the detective telling me that they made an arrest that morning.”
Previous coverage:‘Your day will come’: Mother of man gunned down in Mount Oliver home invasion seeking justice
Dearolf said she is grateful for law enforcement.
“I miss him so much. But I’m so glad that these low lives will get theirs. I knew that God would answer my prayers. And he did,” she said.
“He was a great kid. He really was. He would do anything for anybody. He was just a good guy, wasn’t a street person,” said Dearolf.
Barlow is facing charges including homicide and robbery.
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