MOUNT HOLLY, NJ – Semaj T. Pittman, 24, has been sentenced to 25 years in state prison for fatally shooting 22-year-old Kayla Winkler in 2020 inside her Maple Shade apartment.
The sentence was handed down on September 22 by the Hon. Christopher J. Garrenger, J.S.C. Pittman pled guilty earlier this year to one count of Aggravated Manslaughter (First Degree) and is required to serve 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
The case dates back to February 23, 2020, when Maple Shade Police responded to a shooting report at The Arbors apartment complex on Lenola Road. Officers found two individuals with gunshot wounds in the elevator on the ground floor. Both victims were transported to Cooper University Medical Center in Camden, where Winkler was pronounced dead. Ramek Bass, the second victim and Winkler’s boyfriend, was treated for a gunshot wound to the shoulder.
The investigation disclosed that Pittman, along with a juvenile, had gone to the apartment to rob Winkler and Bass, who were known to them. Pittman shot the victims after being allowed into the apartment.
The juvenile, a resident of Evesham Township, pled guilty last year to Murder (First Degree).