Woman who furnished gun in slaying gets probation

The case involves a 2020 shooting outside the Beer Barrel in McKeesport.

By PAULA REED WARD
TribLive

A Homestead woman pleaded guilty on Thursday to voluntary manslaughter stemming from a fatal shooting outside a McKeesport bar five years ago.

Heaven Franklin-Pitts, 28, was ordered to serve five years probation.

When asked by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Thomas E. Flaherty why she was entering the plea, Franklin- Pitts responded, “Because I’m guilty.”

In the early morning hours of June 18, 2020, police were called to the McKeesport Beer Barrel for a shooting.

There they found Ericka Stevens, 29, of Pittsburgh who had been shot in the cheek.

She died at the scene. According to investigators, Stevens had been inside the bar earlier that night when there was a fight. Another woman, Gabrielle Parker, struck her in the head with a bottle of Corona, investigators said.

Parker, who had gone to the bar with Franklin-Pitts, left but then returned briefly to argue with staff.

When she left again, Parker returned to Franklin-Pitts’ car.

Franklin-Pitts had been standing outside the car holding a gun, video showed. She got into the driver’s seat. Once inside, police said, the video appears to show her handing the gun to Parker.

Six seconds later, the front passenger window of the car went down, and six seconds after that, five rounds were fired.

Police arrested Parker as the shooter but charged Franklin- Pitts with criminal homicide, as well.

During Thursday’s hearing, Assistant District Attorney Diana Page told Flaherty that Franklin-Pitts was cooperative with the investigation, including sitting down with detectives twice.

Franklin-Pitts also testified against Parker at her preliminary hearing and at trial.

“She’s been fully cooperative,” Page said.

“I tried to do everything I could,” Franklin-Pitts said.

Flaherty noted Franklin- Pitts had no previous criminal record and was forthright during the investigation.

Parker went to trial in October on three counts, including criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide and a firearms count.

The jury acquitted Parker on the homicide but found her guilty of the other two charges.

She was scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday. However, the hearing was postponed until Dec. 16 as the defense waits for additional evidence to use in mitigation.