Appeals court upholds sentence in shooting death of 10-year-old girl

Pennsylvania Superior Court has upheld the 30- to 60-year prison sentence for a Washington County man convicted of being involved in the shooting death of a 10-year-old girl.

The court filed its decision Sept. 16 in the sentencing of Anthian Goehring. Washington County District Attorney Eugene A. Vittone announced the news Monday.

Goehring was one of four men sentenced to prison in July 2015 for their roles in the March 31, 2014 shooting death of Ta’Naiyah Thomas.

Goehring appealed the sentencing decision by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski, who served as a visiting judge for the case. Goehring argued that the sentence was disproportionate to his role in the crime, excessive and did not take into account his cooperation against his co-defendants as well as his character and history.

The appellate court found, however, that Judge Borkowski wrote a “thorough and well-reasoned” opinion, did not abuse his discretion and considered all relevant factors.

Police have said Goehring, Douglas Cochran, Malik Thomas and Richard White, all of Washington, planned to rob the boyfriend of Ta’Naiyah’s mother at an apartment on Chestnut Street in Washington, where the family lived.

When they arrived at the apartment building, Goehring and Cochran got out of a car, kicked in the front door and began firing guns through the door of the apartment where Ta’Naiyah and her family lived. Two gunshots struck Ta’Naiyah, one hitting her in the head and killing her.

All four men were convicted; Goehring received the stiffest sentence after pleading guilty to third-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and robbery.