In the early morning of September 1, 1972, James Boatwright, 25, was killed during a shooting inside a Philadelphia after-hours club. Boatwright had gone to the club with Samuel Hill to meet his common-law wife, Betty McClenton. McClenton stepped outside briefly and saw Matthew Swint approach with a gun and shouting threats at Boatwright. Back inside, Swint shot Hill first, then shot Boatwright in the head and fired a second shot into his neck. A pathologist ruled the head and neck gunshot wounds the cause of death.

Swint was arrested and tried on multiple counts, including Boatwright’s murder, assault on Hill, and a weapons offense. The prosecution’s case depended on eyewitness testimony from McClenton and Hill; the defense asserted Swint had been threatened earlier and acted in self-defense. A jury convicted Swint and returned a life sentence, but in 1976 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed the convictions and ordered a new trial, finding an amendment to the weapons-count indictment had prejudiced the defense.

Did anyone in Philadelphia remember Boatwright, Hill, or McClenton from that night or have additional information about the shooting?