Pennsylvania Man Gets Life In 2019 Murder Of Teen Over Botched Marijuana Deal

An alleged Pennsylvania drug dealer will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl over a botched marijuana sale orchestrated over Snapchat, prosecutors said.

DaiQuan Dickerson, 20, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 20 to 40 years, for the 2019 slaying of high school student Emily Shoemaker. He was convicted by a jury in March of first-degree murder, criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder and carrying a firearm without a license, according to WPMT.

“For that senseless crime, this defendant is going to be spending the rest of his life in prison,” Common Pleas Judge Gregory M. Snyder said last week, the York Daily Record reported.

“It is a severe penalty but not unwarranted — and, certainly, may be some but not complete solace to those who loved and cared for this young woman,” he added. “Nonetheless, we believe that justice has certainly been served.”

Prosecutors say Shoemaker was fatally shot on Dec. 2, 2019, after she and two friends allegedly robbed a “middle man” dealer affiliated with Dickerson.

Shoemaker had contacted 20-year-old Sterling Edward Frantz — who was allegedly affiliated with Dickerson — via the social media app Snapchat to buy half an ounce of cannabis for $120. When Frantz showed up to complete the transaction, however, he was put in a chokehold by Shoemaker's friends, Tyrese Dugan and Fuhrman Dennis, forcibly dragged into a vehicle and ultimately robbed, charging documents stated. 

"Frantz stated that he was robbed of the marijuana and after a struggle he was able to break free and flee the vehicle," court documents said.

That marijuana had been supplied to Frantz by Dickerson, according to prosecutors.

After Frantz informed Dickerson of the robbery, the pair allegedly traced Shoemaker’s Kia Soul to a location in York — about an hour north of Baltimore. Dickerson opened fire on Shoemaker’s vehicle from a Nissan Altima, striking her with multiple rounds. She crashed her Kia in the 400 block of West College Avenue after the shooting, first colliding with a Volvo and then striking a tree, according to the York Daily Record. 

Shoemaker was rushed to hospital where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy confirmed she’d died from several gunshot wounds, the outlet reported. 

“Emily was worth more than a half-ounce of marijuana,” District Attorney David Sunday said during closing arguments in March, the York Dispatch reported. “Don’t ever forget that.”

A spokesperson for the York County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on Dickerson's sentencing when contacted by Oxygen.com on Monday afternoon.

Dickerson maintains his innocence.

“I’m going to continue to fight on appeal,” Dickerson told the court last week. “I didn’t do it.”

His attorney, Farley Holt, argued during the trial that Frantz was the gunman, not his client, accusing Frantz of lying to detectives as well as under oath on the witness stand.

“He’s trying to pull a fast one on you guys,” Holt also told the jury during his closing arguments in March, according to the York Dispatch.

Holt described Dickerson as the “fall guy” in the murder case.

“This case is sad, a truly, truly sad case,” Holt added. “Someone’s dead, and someone else got shot over a small bag of weed.” 

Holt didn’t immediately respond to Oxygen.com’s request for comment this week.