Westmoreland County prosecutors on Friday dismissed murder charges against a Pittsburgh teenager and allowed him to plead guilty to lesser charges in connection to a fatal shooting 19 months ago in New Kensington.
Avian Molter, 16, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and the illegal possession of a firearm by a minor. Charges of criminal homicide, second-degree murder, robbery, conspiracy and aggravated assault counts were dismissed.
Molter was among the seven youths charged for the July 3, 2022 killing of 39-year-old Jason Raiford at the Valley Royal Court Apartments in New Kensington. Prosecutors said the group surrounded Raiford in the apartment building’s lobby and demanded money for a drug debt.
Witnesses said Raiford was hit on the head with a gun and as a melee ensued, he fled from the building and was shot 11 times, including several in the back as he lay on the ground.
Molter did not fire a weapon during the shooting, prosecutors said.
Amir Kennedy, 16, of New Kensington fired the fatal shots, according to police. A Westmoreland County jury, following a week-long trial in December found Kennedy guilty of first-degree murder and other related offenses.