A Bethlehem man was found guilty at trial this week of killing a Monroe County woman nearly three years ago in the city.
Marquis Watkins, 24, was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder in the Dec. 10, 2022, fatal shooting of Jani Bostic, Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta said.
Bostic, 21, of East Stroudsburg, was fatally shot in the 1200 block of Butztown Road. She died from her injuries a few days later.
The DA said Bostic and another man, Peter Byrne, were in a vehicle in the area for a marijuana drug deal Watkins arranged. He went up to the vehicle, took the marijuana, then shot Bostic as she sat in the driver’s seat, according to a DA’s office news release. Byrne then fired in Watkins’ direction.
Watkins denied being involved in the shooting, but investigators found evidence linking him directly to it, Baratta said. That included finding the gun used in the shooting in his townhome, which was near the shooting scene.
After a four-day trial in Northampton County Court, Watkins was found guilty of second-degree murder, robbery and firearms offenses, the release states. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
