Marshals arrest suspect in Homewood double homicide

A child custody dispute in Homewood turned deadly in November when a man apparently not involved in the argument killed a woman who was involved, along with her male companion, according to court paperwork.

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested suspect Darryl Barnett, 27, on Monday morning in Philadelphia in connection with the Nov. 13 shooting deaths of Kierra Eddisha Harris, 26, of McKees Rocks, and Lavon Sizemore, 29, of Swissvale.

Barnett was charged by Pittsburgh police two days after the double slaying and was being sought as a fugitive by the marshals.

It does not appear that Barnett had a direct connection to either victim. But according to a criminal complaint, his girlfriend, identified as Lashaya Moore, was contacted through Facebook on the night of the killings by her friend about an ongoing custody dispute with Ms. Harris.

The night’s events began unfolding when Ms. Harris, accompanied by Mr. Sizemore, arrived at the Kelly Street house of Ms. Moore’s friend, identified by police as Witness No. 1.

Police did not provide any details in the complaint about the custody dispute.

Mr. Sizemore tried to break up the argument and calm things down, the witness told police.

During the argument, the complaint said, the witness was in touch with Ms. Moore — known as “Shay Nichole” — on Facebook Messenger.

The argument spilled onto the

witness’s front porch when Ms. Moore and a man known as “A.O.” arrived. The witness admitted to seeing Barnett shoot Ms. Harris and Mr. Sizemore after initially lying about being present at the time of the shooting, the complaint said.

A second unidentified witness also saw the shooting from a window on Kelly Street, the complaint said. The witness told police the shooting happened while two men and three women were fighting, both verbally and physically, according to the complaint.

After the shooting, which occurred around 10:42 p.m., both witnesses said, Witness No. 1 tried to help Ms. Harris until the authorities arrived.

Pittsburgh police said the victims were shot at Kelly and Collier streets. Officers found Mr. Sizemore on the ground next to a black Volkswagen Jetta with its passenger door window shot out. He had been shot in the neck. Ms. Harris was found nearby in the street, shot in the neck and chest. She was pronounced dead at UPMC Presbyterian.

Police used Facebook to identify Shay Nichole as Ms. Moore.

A homicide detective then got an anonymous tip that Barnett was the shooter and lived at Ms. Moore’s house on Mohler Street in Homewood, the complaint said.

Witness No. 1 picked Barnett out of a photo array, police said.

Cara Cruz, a city police spokeswoman, said Monday that the investigation was ongoing.

Ms. Moore could not be reached for comment.

Barnett is charged with two counts of homicide and two firearms crimes. Police said he was barred from carrying a gun after being convicted of a felony, assault by a prisoner, in 2014.

The marshals’ violent offender task force in Philadelphia took Barnett into custody at 7:30 a.m. without incident.

Barnett is scheduled for trial Feb. 13 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on charges of strangulation, terroristic threats and harassment stemming from a violent domestic dispute in August in Lincoln-Lemington.

The alleged victim told Pittsburgh police that Barnett, her boyfriend, had choked her. She accused Barnett of taking groceries she had bought with food stamps from her home and told police she feared she would not be able to feed her daughter.

Police heard Barnett discussing the woman and threatening to “have her smoked,” a criminal complaint said. The woman told police that Barnett’s brother was threatening her by phone. She said she had broken up with Barnett because she found out he was cheating on her, and she told him to leave, according to the complaint.

Barnett was angry, called the woman and a female police officer derogatory names, and threatened to physically harm the alleged victim, police said.