Two Pittsburgh men were sentenced on Tuesday in separate homicide cases that together left three people dead, including a mother and her 4-year-old daughter. Marquise St. Julien Givner received consecutive life terms for a 2022 shooting in Lincoln-Lemington, while Lee McGinnis was ordered to serve 10 to 20 years for a 2024 killing in the South Side Slopes. Allegheny County officials announced the outcomes in court this week.
Wilkinsburg man gets consecutive life terms
Marquise St. Julien Givner, 23, of Wilkinsburg, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms and is not eligible for parole, according to WPXI. The punishment follows his conviction in a long-running investigation into a December 2022 shooting that killed a woman and her young daughter.
How prosecutors say the Lincoln-Lemington attack unfolded
According to a criminal complaint, Givner was one of five people who opened fire on Temani Lewis' vehicle while it was parked outside a convenience store on the 1500 block of Lincoln Avenue, striking Lewis and her daughter, Kaari; Kaari died at the scene, and Lewis was later at a hospital, as reported by CBS Pittsburgh. Prosecutors said he was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, criminal attempt, and criminal conspiracy.
South Side Slopes sentence in 2024 killing
In a separate case, 26-year-old Lee McGinnis of the South Side Slopes was sentenced to 10 to 20 years after a conviction for voluntary manslaughter, according to a voluntary manslaughter conviction, as reported by Hoodline. His co-defendant and girlfriend, Destiny Jenkins, was convicted of third-degree murder and received a 9 to 18 year term.
Court records describe how the South Side fight escalated
Investigators and court filings say an argument among McGinnis, Jenkins, and the victim, Eddie Kimber, turned violent when Jenkins attempted to shoot Kimber and the weapon malfunctioned; McGinnis then grabbed the gun and fatally shot Kimber, according to reporting by CBS Pittsburgh. Witnesses and testimony in the case described both defendants attempting to flee before they were detained.
Officials respond
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala called the cases "horrific crimes" and said they highlight the prominence of violent crime in the community, per WPXI. Prosecutors said the sentences bring accountability after lengthy investigations and will remain central to ongoing efforts to reduce gun violence in the county.
