LANCASTER, PA — A Mountville woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to one first-degree felony count of voluntary manslaughter regarding the fatal shooting of a victim in West Hempfield Township in 2021, announced Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams.
Cherelle Byrd, 36, accepted guilt that she fatally shot Richard Williams intentionally and knowingly with a black Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol under the belief that circumstances would justify the killing even though that belief was unreasonable.
Information presented in court showed that on April 16, 2021, West Hempfield Township Police arrived at a residence in the 400 block of Hillside Drive in Mountville around 9:55 p.m. Upon arrival, an officer was notified by a dispatcher that a male had been shot. The officer observed the deceased victim as Byrd knelt on the ground behind the victim with her hands in the air.
Byrd told police “I shot him” at the scene and disclosed during a subsequent interview at the West Hempfield Township Police Department that the victim and she were in a verbal argument regarding finances. Byrd stated she went upstairs to get her pistol soon after the domestic dispute turned physical.
Byrd pointed her pistol and fired one round as the victim approached her, about five to six feet away.
Lancaster County Judge Merrill Spahn accepted the open guilty plea and ordered a presentence investigation. Spahn will order sentence at a time and date to be determined.
Byrd faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison with sentencing guidelines in the 4 ½ to 6-year range.
Assistant District Attorney Janie Swinehart is prosecuting the case. West Hempfield Township Police Captain George Brace filed charges.
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