A Lancaster County man has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder for gunning down 40-year-old Tayrod Ford during a botched drug robbery in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhood four years ago, closing out a case that took nearly three years to crack. Sammie Lane Jr., 38, admitted in court that he shot Ford in the head inside an Everton Street apartment building after a co-defendant had already wounded Ford in the shoulder, according to charging documents.
The killing happened on August 14, 2022, when Lane and co-defendant Kevin Rivera allegedly ambushed Ford as he arrived at the apartment, according to TribLIVE. Investigators said Rivera pushed Ford into a hallway and fired two shots, hitting him in the shoulder. Charging documents cited by LancasterOnline describe Ford begging for his life and telling the attackers to take whatever they wanted before Lane stood over him and shot him in the head.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner formally identified Ford as the victim, who was found unconscious with a gunshot wound in an apartment stairwell in the 7100 block of Everton Street before being pronounced dead by medics, per a report from CBS News at the time of the shooting. Police said Lane and Rivera stole counterfeit cash and ecstasy pills from Ford, and Rivera also grabbed a book bag filled with marijuana before the pair fled through an open window.
Texts and Deleted Messages
Investigators said Lane, Rivera and Watson discussed the robbery by text…