Final Defendant Sentenced To State Prison For Murder Of Young Father

The last of three defendants in a 2016 Bristol Borough homicide was sentenced to state prison Wednesday.

Before Bucks County Judge Rea Boylan, Rodney Beaty, 29, withdrew a previous guilty plea of third-degree murder and instead pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter as part of a deal with prosecutors. He was then sentenced to four to eight years for the involuntary manslaughter case, a previous unrelated theft, and DUI case.

“This was in interested of justice and fundamental fairness,” Deputy District Attorney Thomas Gannon said of the deal with Beaty, who testified in the springtime trial against his codefendants.

Last week, Dwayne J. Lynch, 31, and Jaquan Nyzier “Dill” Wilkerson, 20, were sentenced to four and a half to nine years for their role in the connection to the brazen shooting death of Robert “Bink” Colter III, 20, in February 2016. The two men were found guilty by a jury in spring of involuntary manslaughter and three counts of reckless endangerment.

The shooting at Colter’s home on Bath Street near Mifflin Street involved Lynch and Wilkerson firing shots down the street toward the man. Beaty drove the getaway car.

Colter, who has twin girls, was struck in the head by gunfire and killed.

In court papers, authorities said Beaty told them the three men were driving through Bristol Borough in Lynch’s red Chevrolet when they spotted a vehicle belonging to the girlfriend of a rival parked near Colter’s home on Bath Street. On Swain Street, Lynch parked and directed Wilkerson, who was then 17 years old, to grab a gun from a backpack. Lynch and Wilkerson exited the Chevrolet and headed to the intersection of Bath and Mifflin streets, where they opened fire toward Colter’s home with 9mm and .40 caliber handguns.

“What gave those guys the right to play God?” Robert Colter Jr. asked during the sentencing. “He had plans. He was a nursing student. He was in school. He had two beautiful girls he didn’t even get to raise.”

“I can’t say I know what it’s like to lose a son,” Beaty said in court. “I know what its like to lose a brother. I’ve lost two brothers – I really am sorry from the bottom of my heart.”

Beaty said he wants to start an organization to counsel kids into making the right choices once he is out of prison.

The investigation into the shooting dragged on but never stopped. It involved numerous law enforcement agencies and culminated with the arrest of the three men in 2018.

“Bucks County Detective David Hanks and Bristol Borough Detective William Davis must be commended for their hard work in this case,” said Gannon. “The investigation faced multiple hurdles and would not have been possible without their unyielding determination. For over three years they worked to achieve justice for Robert Colter III.”