DoorDash driver in Uptown Charlotte teen shooting pleads guilty, sentenced after voluntary manslaughter agreement
Plea resolves 2025 killing that began as a food delivery stop in Uptown
A DoorDash driver charged with first-degree murder in the 2025 shooting death of a 15-year-old in Uptown Charlotte pleaded guilty Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter and received an active prison sentence.
The defendant, Keshawn Tyree Boyd, was sentenced in Mecklenburg County court to 48–70 months in prison, with credit for 393 days already served in custody. The victim, identified by police as Matthias Crockett, was pronounced dead at the scene on Jan. 22, 2025.
What police said happened on West 8th Street
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department homicide investigators reported that officers were dispatched shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 22, 2025, to the 400 block of West 8th Street for an assault with a deadly weapon call. At the scene, officers found a teenage victim with multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead by MEDIC.
Investigators identified Boyd, 27, as a suspect and transported him to the Law Enforcement Center for an interview. Police said Boyd was arrested and transferred to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office in the early hours of Jan. 23, 2025, initially facing a first-degree murder charge.
Delivery context and disputed details of the confrontation
Court reporting and publicly released investigative details described Boyd as delivering a DoorDash order near West 8th Street. The sequence described in those records indicates Boyd left his vehicle running while making the drop-off, and the teen entered the vehicle, raising the possibility of an attempted theft.
- Boyd admitted to shooting the teenager, as reflected in a sworn affidavit cited in coverage of the case.
- Police stated the teenager was not armed at the time of the shooting.
The case drew family members of the victim to court proceedings. Earlier public statements from relatives described broader concerns about the teen’s recent whereabouts and peer influences in the days leading up to the shooting.
Why the charge changed and what the sentence means
More than a year after the homicide, the case concluded through a plea agreement reducing the charge to voluntary manslaughter. The defense emphasized Boyd’s cooperation with investigators and that he legally possessed the firearm. The sentence range imposed—48 to 70 months—places the expected confinement in the roughly four- to nearly six-year range, before any post-release supervision requirements that may apply under North Carolina law.
Company action after the killing
DoorDash deactivated Boyd’s account within hours of the teenager’s death.
No additional courtroom evidence was presented publicly alongside the plea that would fully resolve remaining factual disputes about the moments immediately preceding the gunfire.