FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A 19-year-old man found guilty of murder could spend the rest of his life in prison after his sentencing Tuesday.
A judge in Allen Superior Court handed Charles Sauge Blair 80 years in prison in connection to a December 2023 shooting death at a house party near downtown Fort Wayne.
Nilan Joric Zyan Pearson was 23 when he was shot and killed on Dec. 12 during an argument outside a home in the area of Sherman Boulevard and Margaret Avenue. According to court documents in the case, Pearson and Blair were both there for a birthday party.
Jury finds man guilty of murder in 2023 shooting at party near downtown
Blair had come to the house earlier that night with a group that “had bad energy,” one witness described in court documents. When Blair’s group began to leave – allegedly intending to leave behind a girl who’d come with them – Pearson confronted Blair outside and was eventually shot, according to court documents.
An injured Pearson ran away after the shooting and ended up at a gas station where a Fort Wayne police officer happened to be.