A convicted killer’s bid to withdraw his guilty plea was recently rejected by the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Niziere Dean pleaded guilty last year to third-degree murder for shooting Edward Cameron on a Lancaster city street in 2015. A grand jury preceded charges being filed against Dean and co-defendant, Kyaire Thompson-Brown. Both men pleaded to the same charges and received the same negotiated sentence: 15 to 30 years in prison.
Dean, 24, is requesting appeal relief, arguing his guilty plea was not voluntary and that he was coerced to plead because Thompson-Brown’s fate was tied to his acceptance of the plea offer. The state appellate court rejected that argument, finding that a Lancaster County Judge thoroughly questioned Dean before accepting the plea terms. During the plea hearing, Dean told the judge he was pleading to third-degree murder to avoid a potential first-degree murder conviction (and life sentence) at trial. Cameron was shot at least 13 times on Sept. 7, 2015, following a dispute at the Rainmaker’s Club at 700 East Chestnut St.
The subpoena powers of a grand jury provided valuable testimony about what took place and who was involved. Police determined Dean fired a 9mm pistol, Thompson-Brown fired a .22-caliber pistol, and Rahdir Maxton (who was killed two days later) fired a .45-caliber pistol. Shell casings of those calibers were recovered at the scene. Lancaster city police Detective Sgt. Nathan Nickel filed charges. Assistant District Attorney Gregory Seiders represented the Commonwealth in the recent post-conviction matters.
Sourced via CRIMEWATCH®: https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/da/11617/post/superior-court-rejects-killer%E2%80%99s-claim-he-pleaded-guilty-co-defendant%E2%80%99s-sake