Homicide Watch Trenton

City gunman Masiyah “Chicken” Howard has beaten murder charges through attrition after being prosecuted for years as an alleged killer. Howard was accused of shooting and killing 25-year-old Louis Bryan Alvarez over a $20 dispute involving an Xbox video game system in 2013, but a jury earlier this year could not reach a verdict on … Read more →

After deliberating for several days, a 12-member jury on Tuesday unanimously found Trenton gunman Masiyah “Chicken” Howard guilty of unlawful possession of a handgun but could not reach a verdict on whether he was guilty of murder or manslaughter. The jurors unanimously agreed that the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Howard possessed a … Read more →

Going to trial without any eyewitness reports or direct evidence, the state’s murder case against Masiyah “Chicken” Howard relies primarily upon the sworn testimony of three so-called 793 Bloods street gang members. Howard, 21, of Trenton, is accused of shooting and killing 25-year-old Louis Bryan Alvarez over a $20 dispute involving an Xbox video game … Read more →

A former Bloods gangster who pleaded guilty in 2014 for his role in a large-scale racketeering case testified Thursday at Masiyah Howard’s murder trial, saying the alleged killer had talked to him at the county jail about having shot someone. When Kenneth Williams was incarcerated in the same jail pod with Howard three years ago, … Read more →

Alleged killer Masiyah Howard will soon have his day in court. Howard’s murder trial is scheduled to begin 10 a.m. May 4 at the Mercer County Criminal Courthouse before Superior Court Judge Andrew Smithson. Howard, 21, of Trenton, is accused of shooting and killing 25-year-old Louis Bryan Alvarez in the city’s Chambersburg neighborhood on Feb. … Read more →

Prosecutors expect to extend another plea offer to Masiyah Howard next month which would package charges of robbery and murder if he accepts it. Howard is charged with numerous crimes in Chambersburg, including the slaying of 25-year-old , who was gunned down at his city home on Feb. 26, 2013. Assistant Prosecutor James Scott said … Read more →

A judge has said he is “inclined” to deny prosecutors’ request to try Masiyah Howard together on unrelated robbery and murder counts rather than at separate trials. The teenage Howard is charged in numerous crimes in Chambersburg, chiefly the slaying of 25-year-old Louis Bryan Alvarez, who was gunned down at his city home on Feb. … Read more →

Teenager Masiyah Howard appeared in adult court today to hear that he can get out of prison at age 65 if he pleads guilty now to a 2013 killing that caused racial strife in Chambersburg. Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor Lew Korngut made the 52-year offer to Howard for pleas to aggravated manslaughter, robbery and weapons … Read more →