Case against Brighton Heights funeral shooting suspects moves forward in court

PITTSBURGH — Police called it a targeted attack outside of a funeral at the Destiny of Faith church on Brighton Road last October when six people and a horse were shot. On Tuesday, the case against two suspects, Hezekiah Nixon and Shawn Davis, moved forward in court. Their defense attorneys met with prosecutors, as Nixon’s attorney, Casey White, pushed for his client’s case to be moved to juvenile court.

“The young man is 17 years old…he was 16 at the time of the allegations. We think it’s important for him to be reviewed by a judge to see if he fits the mold for a potential juvenile offender,” White said.

White told Channel 11 that hearing will likely happen in August, with a joint trial tentatively set for October. But Davis’ attorney, Wendy Williams, said there will likely be a lot that happens between now and then, saying she’d like the two to be tried separately.

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“We have not gotten all the discovery. I may be asking for my own trial. I don’t play well with others — I like to have my own trial, so I’m hoping Mr. Nixon gets decertified and goes to juvenile court for his case,” Williams said.

Nixon was also charged as an adult in the deadly shooting of Stephone Drayton last August. Court documents said police matched casings found at the scene of that shooting with the gun that Nixon allegedly threw into the Ohio River after the Brighton Heights shooting.

“There’s a lot of video evidence Ms. Williams and I have to go through, piece by piece…it’s significant. There’s a lot of eyewitnesses, too, so it’s going to be a long trial and a long haul, but we’ll be ready,” White said.

Williams told Channel 11 the other question is publicity and if an impartial jury could be seated in Pittsburgh.

“It was a very high-profile case. I know a lot of people watched the news coverage of the diving for the firearm, etc. So I’m a little concerned about that,” Williams said. “Because of the nature of the funeral being the scene of the shooting, I think a lot of people have strong feelings about it, it is of deep concern to me.”

Williams said she will probably ask for a change of venue and might conduct a survey of news coverage, then present those findings to a panel.

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