Thomas Stockman, 21, of Portersville, Pennsylvania, died on April 17, 2014, in Muddy Creek Township after being shot in the side of the chest with a .22-caliber rifle. The shooting occurred in the living room of a friend’s mobile home on Robbie Way while Stockman and 22-year-old Jeremey Sickenberger were reportedly horsing around and watching a movie. Sickenberger told police he did not know the gun was loaded and said the shooting was accidental.

Sickenberger was charged with criminal homicide, held in the Butler County Jail pending a preliminary hearing, and in 2016 a Butler County jury convicted him of third-degree murder and sentenced him to 18 to 40 years. A June 2023 Superior Court decision ordered a new trial, finding Sickenberger had received ineffective assistance of counsel; the defense argued the jury was not given a mistake of fact instruction and was not informed about Sickenberger’s autism diagnosis.

Stockman is remembered by family and friends as an exceptional young man with a beautiful heart. Did anyone see or hear about the events at the Robbie Way mobile home that night or know more about Stockman’s last hours?