Two men will spend the rest of their lives in prison after being sentenced Monday for a murder four years ago outside a gas station in Larimer.
Michael A. James, 30, of Beaver Falls, and Randall Jones, 32, of Chicago, were sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski.
A jury found both men guilty of first-degree murder in the Jan. 16, 2021, shooting death of Robert Agurs Jr., 32, of Garfield.
Investigators said that James, Jones and another man, Dennis Alexander, followed Agurs out of Club VIP on Hamilton Avenue in Homewood that night.
Then, as Agurs stopped at the gas station, the three men, in a Jeep Cherokee, did a U-turn. Jones fired 15 shots through the passenger window, killing Agurs.
Alexander, who testified at the trial against Jones and James, called the killing a “hit.”
At Monday’s sentencing, no one spoke on behalf of Jones or James, and neither defendant made any statement.
Assistant District Attorney Chase Stelzer read two victim impact statements into the record. Agurs’ aunt, Kimberly Niono, called the shooting senseless.
“It was heartbreaking to see the two young men responsible for his death show no remorse,” she wrote. “Their lack of accountability and compassion magnified our grief and left us questioning how such a tragedy could occur.”
Niono described her nephew as a vibrant, energetic child who excelled in sports and brought happiness to those around him.
In adulthood, she wrote, he embraced fatherhood and was working to build a life for his four children.
“Our family grieves not only for the loss of Robert but also for the void left in the lives of his children who must grow up without their father,” she said.
Agurs’ sister, Tierra Jennings, wrote that the emotional toll on their family has been unbearable — especially for her as she was with him just minutes before he was killed.
“Those moments replay in my mind constantly, haunting me,” she wrote. “What used to feel safe now feels uncertain and threatening.”
Jennings said people were drawn to her brother’s energy, and his death has destroyed their parents.
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Still, she continued, “I choose forgiveness — not because it erases the pain, but because it allows me to release the heavy burden of anger and resentment.
“Forgiveness is for my own healing, not an excuse for what happened.”