LANCASTER, PA – Tyler Wilson, 30, from Columbia, has been sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison for the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Jatavis Scott. The sentencing occurred Tuesday by Lancaster County Judge Thomas Sponaugle, following Wilson’s conviction of third-degree murder and other charges.
The incident, which led to Scott’s death, unfolded in the parking lot of the former Club Twenty3 in Manheim Township on March 19, 2022, around 1:23 AM. The confrontation began with a verbal altercation inside the club, escalating to a physical fight outside, captured on witness phone videos and club surveillance that showed Wilson shooting Scott at close range.
Prosecutors, including Assistant District Attorney Mark Fetterman, argued for a minimum 33-year sentence, emphasizing the loss experienced by Scott’s family, who traveled from Mississippi for the trial. Defense arguments citing Wilson’s potential for rehabilitation and strong family support influenced the request for a lighter sentence starting at 17 ½ years.
Judge Sponaugle remarked on the senselessness of the violence, noting that the evidence showed a situation that should have ended without escalation. The verdict reflects the gravity of an act that not only ended Scott’s life but significantly altered Wilson’s future.