Jonathan Arthur Blackburn, 23, of Worthington, Pennsylvania, died after a late-night shooting on the Blackburn Family Farm in North Buffalo Township on May 22, 2022. He was found at 10:27 p.m. in tall grass near the driveway with five gunshot wounds. The night had started around a campfire; testimony later indicated he and his girlfriend, Ava Psoras, argued about her leaving and alleged infidelity.

Court records describe four people at the property that night: Jonathan, Psoras, Nicholas Alexander Fortuna and Nathan Brison. Testimony and statements conflict about the shooting’s immediate sequence. Fortuna said Jonathan lunged through an open truck window and reached for him, so Fortuna fired in fear for his life. Brison testified Jonathan broke a closed window and tried to choke Fortuna before shots were fired. Psoras said she could not see clearly. A boxcutter was found in one of Jonathan’s hands, though witnesses said they had not seen him holding a weapon then.

Investigators noted evidence that raised questions about the self-defense claim, including the truck window position, bullet trajectories, lack of defensive injuries on Fortuna, and no blood inside the truck. Fortuna was arrested and charged with criminal homicide and related offenses; a jury later convicted him of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced him on January 24, 2024. Did anyone on the farm that night notice something about Jonathan’s state or movements that hasn’t been shared publicly?