Three men who were involved in an incident on July 21, 2019, in the A Pocono Country Place development that ended in a shooting death pleaded guilty in Monroe County Court in Stroudsburg on Tuesday when guilty plea agreements were reached before what was supposed to be a lengthy homicide trial.

Davaun Ewin, 20, of Newport News, Virginia, pleaded guilty to charges of third-degree murder and robbery while Shyheem Mitchell, 23, of Tobyhanna, and Nasiem Mayo, 18, of Hampton, Virginia, pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and conspiracy to commit voluntary manslaughter. All of the defendants were facing homicide charges.

The incident resulted in the murder of Matthew Santana, who Pocono Mountain Regional Police said was shot several times. Police said when they were dispatched to Winter Drive and Pembrook Drive in Coolbaugh Township, they found a Honda sedan in a ditch and Santana in it, slumped over the steering wheel of the vehicle.

Following the pleas, Judge David Williamson accepted the recommended sentences of 5 to 15 years in prison for Mitchell; 6 to 15 years in prison for Mayo; and 10 to 40 years in prison for Ewin. Although Ewin would be eligible for parole once he serves his 10 year minimum, most homicide offenders will serve over half of their minimum sentences before being paroled.

Police said the shooting resulted after the three defendants, each armed with handguns, stole a bottle of Hennessey whiskey from Santana and Angel Rodriguez and Jonathan Nazario as the trio were at an outdoor pavilion smoking marijuana, drinking the whiskey and playing music loudly.

Officials said a confrontation followed after Santana, Rodriguez and Nazario drove to a residence on Winter Drive, which they said was affiliated with the men who robbed them. When the vehicle came under gunfire, Santana was struck and became unresponsive, while Rodriguez and Nazario fled the scene.

Detectives said Santana’s vehicle was struck at least twice, and they also found evidence of other bullet rounds entering the passenger compartment.

Officers searched the Winter Drive property and found spent .357 SIG and 9 mm casings in the driveway, in addition to live 9 mm rounds in the home belonging to Mayo.

Santana’s cause of death was determined to be gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

Another search warrant at a residence on Greenbriar Circle resulted in two handguns, a Glock .357 SIG and a Ruger 9 mm pistol, tied up in a black garbage bag and hidden under a tarp. The Glock was reported stolen in 2017 by the Virginia Beach Police Department.

Investigators said Ewin fired the shots that hit Santana. Malik Pruitt, 18, of Albrightsville, who police said gave false statements to police and provided a false alibi for Mitchell, was also charged as a principal and accomplice to robbery but was not involved in the court proceedings this week.

Before the sentencings, Judge Williamson read a letter written by the victim’s mother that was presented by sentencing First Assistant District Attorney Michael Mancuso. Mrs. Santana opted not to speak at the sentencing, but in her letter, she stated the deceased was her only child and the impact of the crime on her “was terrible.”

Afterward, Mancuso praised the work of the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department and Assistant District Attorney Rich White and Detective Sgt. Wendy Serfass of the DA’s office for their work in bringing the case to justice.