Pittsburgh man pleads guilty to 2019 birthday party murder in Homewood, gets 10 to 20 years
A Pittsburgh man who pleaded guilty Thursday to killing another city man at a Homewood birthday party in 2019 was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison.
Geron Anderson, 28, of Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and a firearms charge in connection with the death of Kenneth Baptiste Jr.
Anderson and Baptiste got involved in an argument at a birthday party on North Murtland Avenue around noon March 30, 2019, according to Pittsburgh police Detective Clifton L. Pugh Jr. The argument escalated into a physical fight, with both men punching each other, before Anderson pulled out a gun, Pugh said.
Anderson shot Baptiste once inside the home where the party was being held and then chased Baptiste outside, firing several more shots, Pugh said. Baptiste died later at UPMC Presbyterian.
The birthday party had been filmed and was being streamed on Facebook Live, Pugh said.
Anderson has been in Allegheny County Jail since his arrest on June 19, 2019, court records show. Those four years in custody will be applied to his prison sentence.
Pittsburgh-based attorney Wendy Williams, who represented Anderson, and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office did not return calls seeking comment.
Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.