A judge found Tayron Reid guilty of third-degree murder Thursday in the shooting death of his father, Ta’ron Reid, ruling that a frightening look on his father’s face was not enough to justify pulling the trigger. The shooting happened following an argument between father and son at an apartment on Ridge Avenue in East Pittsburgh.
Reid was convicted after a nonjury trial held during the week of Oct. 19, according to TribLIVE.com, which reported that Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Anthony Deluca will sentence Reid on Feb. 2, 2027. Ta’ron Reid, 45, was shot three times — once in the head and twice in the chest — during the Sept. 16, 2025 encounter.
A Father-Son Argument Turns Deadly
According to testimony described in the TribLIVE report, a witness told police that the father and son had argued inside the apartment that evening, and that Tayron Reid, 20, became frustrated by comments his father made about his mother. The witness testified at trial that Ta’ron Reid was “picking” at his son before Tayron walked into a back room and his father followed him in.
The witness told police they then heard gunshots. Reid fled the apartment with his father’s keys, the station's report states. TribLIVE's trial coverage lists Reid's age as 20, while an earlier WTAE report from the time of the shooting identified him as 19; that station also reported he turned himself in to detectives and was held in the Allegheny County Jail, with his last known address in Pittsburgh's Hill District.
Defense Argued Shoot-or-Be-Shot Fear
Defense attorney Leslie Perlow argued that Reid acted in self-defense, telling the court her client grabbed the gun because he felt it was either shoot or be shot, per the same account. Reid testified Wednesday that he fired after his father made a face he had never seen before, one that scared him enough to pull the trigger.
Perlow said after the verdict that she was disappointed in the outcome and expects to appeal. The court rejected the self-defense claim outright, with Judge Deluca finding that Reid did not act in self-defense.
Judge Cites Inconsistencies, No Weapon Found
Deluca described Reid's testimony as inconsistent and said many of the details did not match the evidence presented at trial. Crucially, the judge noted that Ta’ron Reid was not armed with a weapon during the confrontation. “A face alone without a weapon does not lead to a reasonable belief bodily injury is about to occur,” Deluca said, according to the article, adding that no reasonable person would believe Reid was in danger of death or serious bodily injury.
Pennsylvania law sets a high bar for deadly force in self-defense cases. Under the state's criminal code, deadly force is not justifiable unless a person believes it is necessary to protect against death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping or forced sexual intercourse, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The same statute generally does not require a person to retreat from their own dwelling or workplace before using justified force.
Reid now faces sentencing on third-degree murder, a charge that under Pennsylvania law carries a maximum term of imprisonment of no more than 40 years, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly's criminal code. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2, 2027.
