Teen Pleads Guilty to Killing Classmate Over Headphones

A Pittsburgh teen who admitted to gunning down a fellow student outside a school over a pair of Beats headphones is now waiting to learn his fate.

Jaymier Perry, now 18, pleaded guilty Wednesday in the May 2023 killing of 15-year-old Derrick Harris Jr. outside Oliver Citywide Academy in Pittsburgh.

Under a negotiated plea deal, Perry is expected to be sentenced on July 29 to 35 years to life in prison, according to online court records and local reports.

Perry was 15 years old when the shooting happened, which means he was not eligible for the mandatory life-without-parole sentence that normally comes with a first-degree murder conviction.

The deadly attack unfolded on the morning of May 24, 2023, outside the special-education school.

Prosecutors said Perry showed up at the school carrying his mother’s 9 mm handgun. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, authorities said Perry knew that he and Harris were usually among the first students to arrive that morning.

Around 7:25 a.m., Pittsburgh’s ShotSpotter system detected gunfire near the school. When officers arrived, they found Harris suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital, where he later died.

Surveillance video showed Perry approaching Harris on the school’s front steps before the shooting, according to court records and local reports.

Prosecutors said the footage also showed Perry assaulting Harris after he fell to the ground, before Perry left the scene.

Police found Perry nearby shortly after the shooting and took him into custody. Authorities said he was still carrying the handgun when officers located him.

According to investigators, Perry later told detectives he killed Harris because Harris had taken his Beats headphones two days earlier.

Allegheny County Deputy District Attorney Ryan Kiray described the violence in chilling detail during court proceedings.

“The defendant shot Harris until the gun was empty,” Kiray said, according to the Tribune-Review.

Investigators previously alleged Perry fired 11 rounds during the attack.

The court also heard a disturbing statement Perry allegedly made when detectives asked why he kicked and stomped on Harris after the shooting.

“If you’re going to shoot someone, you may as well finish the job,” Perry allegedly said before laughing, according to Kiray.

The killing devastated the Oliver Citywide Academy community and sparked major changes at the school. After the shooting, the school shifted to remote learning for several weeks. Students were later relocated for the following school year, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Harris’ death left family, classmates and the community grieving a teenager whose life ended before classes had even begun that morning.

Perry is expected to return to court on July 29, when he is set to receive a sentence of 35 years to life in prison.