A Wilkes-Barre man charged with murder is scheduled to appear in court this week

Oct. 14—SUNBURY — A Luzerne County man will appear before a Northumberland County judge this week to face murder charges in connection with an August shooting at the Northumberland County Courthouse.

Defense attorney Theron Solomon of Wilkes-Barre filed motions in Northumberland District Court to dismiss the murder charge and all related charges against Carnel Shelborne for lack of evidence. Shelborne is also requesting bail, according to the filing.

Shelborne is scheduled to appear before Judge Hugh Jones at 9:45 a.m. Friday.

Shelborne is charged with murder for his involvement in the fatal shooting of Dayveon Creel in Sunbury on Aug. 15 outside the Northumberland County Courthouse, according to police. The shooting occurred during the lunch break of an attempted murder trial against Anthony Moultrie and Francky Riche.

According to Sunbury police, Shelborne and co-defendant Naseir Robinson, who was also charged with murder in the case, left the courthouse and used their vehicle to stop Creel from leaving a parking lot on Market Street before a third man, Denarii Springs, of Northumberland, shot and killed Creel.

Springs, who is charged with murder, fled the scene and has not yet been located, police said.

Solomon said Shelborne was arrested the night of the shooting and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. At the Sept. 17 preliminary hearing, Solomon said Shelborne learned he was charged with murder.

Northumberland County District Attorney Michael O’Donnell said the two have been charged with murder since the initial arrests.

Solomon said in the filing that the only witness to the Aug. 15 murder who testified during the trial was Riche, who police say shot Robinson a few days after Kareem Jakes was killed in May 2022. Jakes was shot by Ajani Uhuru of Sunbury.

Moultrie and Riche were charged with attempted murder for shooting Robinson and a relative of Uhuru’s a few days after the Jakes’ shooting, police said. A jury found Uhuru guilty of involuntary manslaughter after a trial earlier this year.

In his filing, Solomon said Riche’s testimony at the Sept. 17 preliminary hearing was based on fiction and that video evidence played by O’Donnell and Sunbury police proved otherwise. Solomon said Riche is testifying against Robinson, who appeared as a commonwealth witness during Riche’s trial.

After the Aug. 15 shooting, President Judge Paige Rosini declared the trial invalid. Both defendants are due back in court in November.

“In the most incredible turn of events, the Commonwealth’s own video evidence refuted their entire case,” Solomon wrote.

During the preliminary hearing, video showed Shelborne and Robinson driving up in a vehicle behind Creel’s vehicle before the vehicle Shelborne and Robinson were in drove away after a brief exchange. A few moments later, Springs shot Creel, the video showed, according to Solomon.

Police allege Springs grabbed a gun from the vehicle Shelborne and Robinson were driving before the shooting.

Solomon said Shelborne was a passenger in the vehicle and at no time fled the area and was found at his Sunbury apartment hours after the shooting. Solomon said the Commonwealth made up the entire theory to arrest two men to find Springs.