LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A third person has been charged with the Jan. 6 murder of Elliott Corbin III in Lancaster.
According to the Lancaster City Bureau of Police, Corbin III was found suffering from a gunshot wound along the 400 block of S. Prince St. by police. He was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
On Jan. 26, Ta'jhon Veal and Joy Cleveland were arrested in connection to the shooting. Following an ongoing investigation, Veal's girlfriend, Jalani Morales, 19, was arrested as well.
Morales allegedly took significant steps to assist Veal and Cleveland in the commission of and cover up for Corbin III's murder. As a result, she has been charged with one count each of criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, criminal use of a communication facility, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and two counts of hindering apprehension or prosecution.
Morales surrendered at the Lancaster City Bureau of Police station on March 15, according to police. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 26, and she was denied bail.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Cleveland and Corbin were in a relationship and had a fight on Jan. 6 that ended with Corbin telling her to leave his South Prince Street apartment. About an hour later, surveillance cameras caught a tall, thin, masked man, believed to be Veal, walking past Corbin's apartment several times before firing a gun at Corbin from around the corner as Corbin stood on his balcony.
Police say they were able to recover texts from Cleveland's phone that she had allegedly tried to delete in which she asks Corbin several times to come out on his balcony in the hour between her leaving the apartment and his death. Corbin allegedly responded that he knew Corbin was trying to arrange his murder. Police claim the text messages continued up until Corbin's death on the balcony, where Cleveland had allegedly told him to go minutes earlier.
Detectives say they received multiple tips that Cleveland had arranged Corbin's murder.
Cell phone data allegedly shows that Veal's phone remained at his apartment and placed several outgoing calls, including one to Cleveland's phone, during the shooting. The call initially seemed to create alibis for the two suspects, as it began a few minutes before the shooting and lasted about half an hour afterwards. Investigation revealed that it was actually Morales using Veal's phone during this time, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Police say Morales denied several times that Veal had left his phone at the apartment and that she had used it while he was gone. She eventually admitted the truth after an "extensive interview," according to a criminal complaint.
Officers claim Morales' phone made several searches in the days after the shooting about local homicide investigations and the penalties.
Morales has been charged with two counts of criminal homicide and one count each of criminal use of communication facility, hinder apprehension/prosecution - provide aid, hinder apprehension/prosecution - false info to LEO and tamper with/fabricate physical evidence.
Veal has been charged with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy to commit homicide and carrying a firearm without a license.
Cleveland is facing charges of criminal homicide and criminal conspiracy to commit homicide.
