A Wilkes-Barre man who testified against two co-defendants in the stabbing death of Scott Knox was sentenced to eight to 20 years in state prison for his own role in the killing. Jaime Knights pleaded no contest to third-degree murder and was remanded to the Department of Corrections following the sentencing handed down by Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas.
Knights was one of five men charged in connection with Knox's death, which prosecutors say followed a failed attempt by a friend of Knox to steal $40 worth of crack cocaine from the group during a drug deal on the night of May 7, 2024. According to The Citizens' Voice, the attack took place outside Mofon Lounge at 120 Academy St. in South Wilkes-Barre, and prosecutors argued the group went after the 33-year-old Knox in retribution for the attempted theft. First Assistant District Attorney Tony Ross led the prosecution.
Court videos reportedly showed Knox fleeing his attackers before police later found him slumped over on the porch of a South River Street home, according to the same outlet. Knights, for his part, testified that the group did not know a stabbing had occurred until co-defendant Fernando Bracero produced a bloody knife, and he pushed back on the prosecution's characterization that Knox had been hunted down, saying stabbing or shooting anyone was not the plan.
Knights' Testimony Became Key to Convictions
Knights served as a key witness in the prosecution's case against his co-defendants, testifying against both Bracero and Jary Javier “G” Fortuna, according to the Times Leader. He testified that the group's intended plan was to put a “beat down” on Knox rather than kill him. A jury ultimately convicted Bracero, 32, of first-degree murder following a four-day trial before Lupas, who sentenced him to life in prison without parole, the Times Leader reports.
In a separate three-day trial that ended Oct. 8, another jury convicted Fortuna, 34, of third-degree murder after deliberating about two hours, per the same outlet's reporting. Fortuna is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 2 and faces up to 40 years in prison. A fourth co-defendant, Justice “Millie” Flenory, 26, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was sentenced by Lupas to 12 to 25 years in state prison on Oct. 2, the Times Leader notes. A fifth man charged in the case, Jose Rosario-Miranda, 32, remains a fugitive.
Plea Date and Restitution Ordered
Knights entered his no-contest plea on Dec. 23, 2025, according to the Times Leader. As part of his sentence, Knights was ordered to pay a share of more than $15,000 in restitution along with his co-defendants, covering investigative and funeral expenses, and he received credit for roughly two years and three months of time already served.
The case traces back to The Citizens' Voice's earlier coverage of the deadly drug deal gone wrong, which left Knox dead after what prosecutors described as a failed crack-cocaine ripoff. With Knights now sentenced and Fortuna awaiting his own sentencing next month, the Luzerne County case moves closer to a close for all but one of the five men charged — as long as Rosario-Miranda remains at large.
