Second man sentenced to prison in 2019 Wilkes-Barre drive-by

Patrick Kernan, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

Mar. 25—WILKES-BARRE — A Pittston man who had been found guilty for being the driver in a 2019 drive-by shooting in Wilkes-Barre was sentenced on Wednesday to spend up to 11 years behind bars.

Jyzah Morgan, 23, appeared via video conference call before Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. on Wednesday after being found guilty by a jury in October of felony counts of aggravated assault, discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and tampering with evidence.

Morgan had been charged along with Wilkes-Barre man Onje Crowder, 20, in connection with a March 2019 shooting incident.

According to police, Crowder fired multiple rounds into a Lockhart Street home from a car being driven by Morgan.

No one was injured in the incident, but the home was occupied at the time.

Crowder previously pleaded guilty, having some of the charges against him dropped as part of the plea deal, and was sentenced to spend between four and 10 years in prison. Morgan, however, took his case to trial and was ultimately convicted.

Members of Morgan's family testified to Sklarosky, saying that he is a hardworking young man, one who has a lot of potential in the future.

Morgan spoke on his own behalf, apologizing for his role in the crime, saying he was thankful no one was hurt in the process. But he seemed to balk at the suggestion of his full responsibility.

"Don't sentence me for a crime I didn't commit," he implored Sklarosky. "I was just the driver."

Assistant District Attorney Drew McLaughlin said that his role as the driver was "no small thing," and asked that Morgan be sentenced within the standard range of sentencing.

Sklarosky, for his part, seemed to agree with McLaughlin.

"The people in this community deserve to walk down the street without fearing gunshots," Sklarosky said.

"'I was just the driver'?" he went on, echoing Morgan's statement. "Certainly, without you, the crime doesn't happen."

Sklarosky sentenced Morgan to spend a total of 66 to 132 months, or five-and-a-half to 11 years, locked up in state prison, to be followed by a period of two years probation.

One of Morgan's family members lamented that his sentence was longer than Crowder's, but this seems mostly due to Crowder being convicted on only two counts after his plea deal, compared to Morgan's six counts after taking the case to trial.

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