Man gets 40-80 years in 2018 murder

Melissa Klaric, The Herald, Sharon, Pa.
·2 min read

Mar. 4—SHARON — The suspect in the 2018 murder of a Sharon man pleaded guilty days before his trial was to begin.

Jaylaun Coleman, 20, Farrell, pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of third-degree murder and related charges in an arrangement that calls for a sentence of 40 to 80 years in prison for the murder of 21-year-old Tyrone Cornish. The trial was set to begin March 8.

The court has not scheduled a sentencing hearing, but Mercer County District Attorney Peter C. Acker said it will take place in the next 60 days.

Acker said he met with Cornish's family on several occasions.

"They wanted the death penalty, which wasn't going to happen," Acker said. "They're pleased to have closure."

Acker said the case involved a lot of work by Sharon police, who did an excellent job.

"And I think it's an appropriate result," Acker said.

Sharon Police Department responded to a report of a shooting at 5:22 p.m. Aug. 11, 2018, near Willow Village Apartments at 174 West Budd St., Sharon.

Police said responding patrolmen found Cornish shot once in the neck in the parking lot of the apartment complex. He was transported to a local hospital where he died.

Acker said the apartment complex has high definition video cameras, which enabled Sharon detectives to secure images and photo captures of the crime. The images include color screen shots that showed Coleman firing the fatal shot.

"One of the shots literally caught the bullet in mid-air," Acker said. "And it also caught (Coleman's) attempt to try to shoot the victim a second time, but the gun jammed."

Sharon police said surveillance images from Aug. 11, before Cornish's killing, show him getting into a fight with Coleman's brother, Jamylan Coleman, in the same parking lot.

The trial in the case had been delayed on multiple occasions for a variety of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Acker said.

"So we're very pleased that we're finally able to bring that case to a conviction," Acker said.

Follow Melissa Klaric on Twitter and Facebook @HeraldKlaric, email: mklaric@sharonherald.com