Wilkinsburg man gets 25 to 50 years for killing Tarentum woman
A Wilkinsburg man will serve 25 to 50 years in prison for killing the mother of his child in Tarentum in 2021.
DaShawn Frederick, 28, pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree murder, making terroristic threats and endangering the welfare of children. The sentence was negotiated.
Investigators said Frederick had been in the Pittsburgh area on leave from the Army at the time of the killing. He rented a car from Pittsburgh International Airport on Dec. 16, 2021, and drove it from the airport to the intersection of Main Street and Fifth Avenue in Tarentum, arriving there shortly after 11 p.m.
Arquwonna Wright, 30, with whom he had a 5-month-old child, lived in an apartment there.
Witnesses and video surveillance showed Wright approaching the SUV, which was at a stop sign in the intersection, and then several muzzle flashes fired from inside the SUV.
Police said they found Wright with five gunshot wounds. She died at the scene.
They learned from neighbors that Wright had two children. Officers found the children — the other one was 4 — unattended in the apartment.
Deputy District Attorney Alison Bragle told the court Monday that detectives used video to identify the vehicle and were able to trace the rental car to Frederick, who returned it to the airport Dec. 20.
They found gunshot residue inside the SUV. Investigators also learned that Frederick bought two guns and ammunition the day before the shooting. The casings found at the scene matched what he purchased.
The gun used in the shooting was never recovered.
Evidence in the case showed that Wright made an 88-second phone call and sent a text message to Frederick just before the shooting.
At the plea hearing Monday, Wright’s twin sister, Arquailla Wright, told the judge she could always sense when something was wrong with her sister. She said she knew something was wrong that night.
Arquailla Wright told the court she is caring for her sister’s children and doesn’t know how she will ever explain to them what happened.
Defense attorney Bill Difenderfer, who did not call any witnesses, said his client is remorseful.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2020 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of "Death by Cyanide." She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.
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