Homicide charge dropped as Erie man pleads guilty to lesser counts

The Erie County District Attorney's Office today dropped a count of homicide and other major charges against a 22-year-old Erie man in exchange for his guilty plea to two misdemeanors connected to a fatal shooting in August.

Thomas D. Taylor today pleaded guilty to possessing an instrument of a crime -- a handgun -- and tampering with evidence.

Taylor's co-defendant, Timothy Charity Jr., 32, is scheduled for trial in the homicide case on Friday. Neither the defense nor prosecution would comment today on whether Taylor would testify against Charity.

Erie police initially charged Taylor and Charity with shooting 20-year-old Cameron Mitchell Jr. in the early morning of Aug. 4 along East 12th Street near the Bayfront Connector. Mitchell was bouncing a basketball.

Both defendants faced charges of homicide, criminal conspiracy, possessing an instrument of a crime, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence. Charity also faces additional counts of recklessly endangering another person and a weapons violation.

Police said Taylor handed a gun to Charity, and Charity fired the shot that killed Mitchell.

According to a witness at a preliminary hearing, the night before the shooting, Mitchell, Charity and Thomas argued over a personal foul in a basketball game, and Charity accused Mitchell of stealing his cell phone.

See Thursday' Erie Times-News and GoErie.com for more coverage.


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