A man charged with the December 2020 murder of Shaquille Love in Bristol Township was ordered to stand trial following a preliminary hearing held on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, at the Bucks County Criminal Justice Center.
Kelvontae Perry, 28, of Bristol Township, was charged on May 31 following a Grand Jury investigation of conspiring with others to shoot and kill 21-year-old Shaquille Love on Dec. 23, 2020, in the 1800 block of Edgely Road.
At Thursday’s hearing before Magisterial District Judge Terrence P. Hughes, Deputy District Attorney Mary Kate Kohler presented testimony from witnesses and three detectives with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, along with evidence that included videos and photos.
District Judge Hughes ruled that enough evidence was presented at the hearing to send charges against Perry to the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas. Perry is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, firearms not to be carried without a license, possession of an instrument of crime, possession of a weapon, and conspiracy on all charges.
Additionally, District Judge Hughes held all charges for trial against Quashaad James, 28, also of Bristol Township. James is charged with perjury and two counts of false swearing after he lied to the Grand Jury under oath by falsely accusing another person as Love’s killer.
Both men have formal arraignments scheduled for Oct. 20.
The killing happened around 7 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2020, in the 1800 block of Edgely Road. At the scene, officers discovered a deceased male, later identified as Love, in the driver’s seat of his vehicle. It was determined that he died from a single gunshot to the head.
Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub held a press conference in late 2021 announcing the creation of a reward fund to solve three killings in Bristol Township-one of which was Love’s.
At the time Weintraub hoped the award funds would kickstart the investigations that at that in time, he said “exhausted” every possible lead and have hit dead ends with trying to solve the three cases.
The investigation determined the likely motive for this homicide stemmed from a long-standing feud between rival Bristol Township neighborhoods.
Love was not involved in the neighborhood feud, however his childhood friend, who was in his passenger seat on the night of the homicide, was associated with one of the feuding neighborhoods.
This investigation was conducted by Detectives with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and the Bristol Township Police Department with the assistance of the 20th Investigating Grand Jury. Deputy District Attorney Mary Kate Kohler is assigned for prosecution.
