Mother of student killed at haunted hayride in North Versailles speaks out a year after his murder

NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. — Sunday marks one year since Steven Eason, a 15-year-old sophomore at the Central Catholic High School, was shot and killed at a haunted hayride in North Versailles. It has been 365 days since Shantel Pizaro kissed him goodbye and never saw him again.

“Not only are you struggling with not having your child with you, but you’re also struggling that no one is being held responsible for what happened,” Pizaro said.

With no arrests and a wrongful death lawsuit pending, Pizaro is channeling her frustration and heartbreak into action, teaming up with one of Steven’s former coaches to plan a basketball tournament in his memory.

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“Steven loved basketball. He was an avid sports fan. He loved playing sports. And basketball was one of his favorites,” Pizaro said.

Eason’s very first basketball coach played a role in the initiative.

“He was just a special young man and he sacrificed his life for a friend,” said Coach Anwan Wesley. “When this young man was murdered at the hayride, all those kids, somebody should’ve came out and spoke up. The fact is he lost his life trying to help a friend.”

Four youth teams competed at the tournament, and Wesley hopes the event brought attention to the life that was lost.

“We want kids to go out there and live and live their life, but at the same time, we want justice for Steven. This was a good platform where we could get the word out,” Wesley said.

Pizaro hopes this kind of initiative helps kids live the life his son couldn’t live.

“These are places where you can have refuge. There are safe places for you, and there are multiple resources available that you can access,” she said.

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