Old family friends become killer and victim, leading to prison for Braddock man

Cecil Foreman’s family had a longtime relationship with the Kelleys.

They all grew up together and had remained friends for decades.

Foreman considered 22-year-old Michael Kelley to be like a nephew.

But those bonds weren’t enough to stop an argument between the men from turning into a fatal shooting more than 2 1/2 years ago.

On Thursday, Foreman, 46, of Braddock was ordered to serve 17 to 35 years in prison for killing Kelley, of East Pittsburgh.

“I never wanted none of this to happen,” Foreman said at his sentencing in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. “There was no intent.”

“That night, I really felt like my life was in danger. I’m no murderer.”

According to the criminal complaint against Kelley, police were called to Prospect Terrace, a public housing complex in East Pittsburgh, just before 4 a.m. on Sept. 12, 2021, for a shooting.

First responders found Kelley’s body. He had been shot in the neck and torso.

His mother, Shauna Kelley, who was also shot multiple times, was taken to the hospital and survived.

Testimony at trial in February showed that Foreman argued with Shauna Kelley at a club earlier that night. She claimed that Foreman aggressively put his finger on her forehead.

Foreman testified that she told him she was going to tell her son Foreman put his hands on her.

Later that night, Foreman went to his girlfriend’s home on the same street where Kelley lived. Video from her Ring doorbell camera showed Shauna Kelley, Michael Kelley and a few others arriving a couple of minutes later.

The video showed Michael Kelley and Foreman moving in a circle around each other, the criminal complaint said. Then Michael Kelley pointed at Foreman. Foreman went off camera, Michael Kelley’s expression changed, and then the video showed him running down the steps.

The video, according to the criminal complaint, then showed Shauna Kelley on the ground at the bottom of the steps and Foreman running with a gun in his hand before driving away.

Foreman testified that he knew Michael Kelley frequently carried a gun and that he feared for his life. He claimed he fired in self-defense.

His attorney, Ryan James, asked the jury to find his client either not guilty or guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

The jurors, however, convicted Foreman of third-degree murder, a more serious crime.

Although Foreman was also charged with attempted homicide for shooting Shauna Kelley, the jury acquitted him on that count. The defense argued that Foreman never intended to shoot her, and that she jumped between Foreman and her son.

At the sentencing before Judge Edward J. Borkowski, Foreman’s father, also named Cecil Foreman, told the court that his family and the Kelleys grew up together.

“Back in the day, everybody was family,” his father said. “We all knew each other.”

As he spoke, Michael Kelley’s aunt, Trayshon Kelley, who was sitting in the back of the courtroom, nodded her head, tears welling in her eyes.

Foreman’s family members said he had been trying to get his life back on track after being released from prison. A week before the shooting, his father, said, he’d gotten a call about a possible job with U.S. Steel.

“He’s a good guy who was put in a bad situation,” said Thomasina Brown, the defendant’s sister.

But Assistant District Attorney Stephen Sliger told the court that Foreman’s first gun conviction was in 1998, and he served two separate 5- to 10-year prison terms for robbery and gun charges. He was convicted on another gun count stemming from May 2021, as well.

Foreman had been out on parole for less than a year when he was arrested on the homicide charge, Sliger said.

“[His record] reflects that Mr. Foreman is a danger to himself and his community.”

In a victim impact statement she wrote to the court, Trayshon Kelley told the defendant that he destroyed their family.

“You destroyed our community also, with your selfish act,” she wrote. “How could you harm us like this? How could you hurt someone you watched grow up?”

Any sentence would not be enough, she wrote.

Foreman’s lawyer asked the court for leniency.

“This was a man put under immense pressure who felt there was no way out,” he said. “Mr. Foreman should not die in prison, and his guidelines call for that.”