When Eddie Kimber was growing up in the West African nation of Liberia, he had difficulty breathing, struggled to gain weight and would easily become exhausted from minimal activity. Doctors couldn’t find what was wrong.
But when Kimber’s family fled war there and entered a refugee program, his brother said Tuesday, they discovered he had a hole in his heart. It could be treated in the United States, and Beatrice Jah moved her family here in 2005, hoping to experience the American dream.
They did — until Sept. 16, 2024, when Kimber was killed at his Sharon Street apartment on the South Side Slopes following an argument over dirty dishes.
On Tuesday, the man who fired the fatal shots was sentenced.
Lee McGinnis, 26, was ordered by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Elliot Howsie to serve 10 to 20 years in state prison, the maximum possible sentence for voluntary manslaughter.
McGinnis and his girlfriend, Destiny Jenkins, were both charged in Kimber’s death.
According to investigators, Jenkins, Kimber and Kimber’s brother, were roommates and had an argument that afternoon over dirty dishes.
When Kimber’s brother attempted to walk upstairs after the disagreement, he told police that Jenkins struck him repeatedly over the head.
Then, prosecutors said, she pulled out a gun. She told detectives she pulled the trigger, but the gun jammed, so she handed it to McGinnis.
McGinnis fired three rounds, striking Kimber.
McGinnis and Jenkins fled and were arrested hours later at a Brownsville Road gas station.
Jenkins went to trial in May, and a jury found her guilty of third-degree murder. She was ordered to serve nine to 18 years in prison in August.
McGinnis, whose trial began in November, was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter.
Kimber’s mother told the court in a written victim-impact statement that she now lives in constant fear.
Kimber’s oldest brother, Decontee Kimber, told the court in a statement that the death has left a hole in their family.
“Family was such an important part of Eddie’s life,” his brother wrote. “As a brother, he was someone I could always count on, the one who would check in when life felt heavy, who celebrated my wins and stood by me during hard times.”
Kimber said his brother was especially close to his nephews, there for every milestone, encouraging them.
“To them, their uncle wasn’t just a relative, he was a friend, a role model and someone who made them feel deeply loved,” he said.
“Trying to explain to them that he’s not coming back is something no parent should ever have to do. They didn’t and still don’t understand why someone so kind, so full of life, could be taken away so suddenly and violently.
“Our family will never be the same.”
At Tuesday’s sentencing, McGinnis’ parents expressed condolences to Kimber’s family.
They also told the court their son was a good person.
“He’s very remorseful,” Lee McGinnis Sr. said. “This is not his character.”
“He’s a great man who found himself in an unfortunate situation,” his mother, Lakeisha Hughes said.
