An Ohio man will serve decades in prison for killing a woman in front of her 4-year-old daughter in a highway shooting that combined driving fury with a belated attempt at vengeance.
Noah Messiah Corbitt, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of murder by felonious assault, four counts of felonious assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of discharging a firearm on or near prohibited premises, Law&Crime said.
On Friday afternoon, Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Kimberly A. Melnick sentenced the defendant to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 21 years for the combined offenses, according to the case’s lead prosecutor. Corbitt will also earn 416 days credit for time served in pretrial confinement.
The underlying circumstances occurred on September 21, 2024, when an old money disagreement turned emotional and eventually lethal.
Corbitt was unhappy with another individual on the day in question after a failed gun transaction, according to a sentencing memorandum.
Years ago, Corbitt was supposed to receive the rifle in exchange for $200, but after receiving payment, the other man reportedly went back on the arrangement, taking Corbitt’s money but never returning the gun, according to prosecutors. Corbitt and the other man recently started working together at an Amazon facility in Vandalia, a small suburb located about 11 miles north of Dayton.
According to the memo, the guys made contact on September 20, 2024, and continued into the early morning of the following day.
“The two individuals had not seen each other since the failed gun sale,” according to the letter. “The Defendant confronted [the other man who] indicated that he did not wish to fight because he did not want them to lose their jobs.”
On September 21, 2024, between 6:30 and 7 a.m., both men exited the Amazon facility after working overnight shifts. Corbitt followed his coworker, according to officials. The defendant drove his blue Chevrolet Impala, and the other man was picked up by Jermea Lyle, 26, in her silver Nissan Altima.
Lyle worked in a local elderly community and also on the night shift. That morning, Lyle’s daughter’s father picked her up before driving to the Amazon site to pick up the other man.
As the Altima exited Interstate 75 traveling south to merge onto Interstate 35 headed westbound, the victim was asleep in the back seat of the car, next to her daughter in her car seat, when a shot was fired.
“Lyle awoke and indicated that she had been hit,” according to the report. “[The driver] saw a blue Chevy Impala speeding off the exit at the Germantown Street exit.”
Lyle was transported to Miami Valley Hospital at 7:15 a.m. and later pronounced dead, according to officials.
“A bullet entered her left back and exited her left chest as her head rested in the lap of her [4-year-old] daughter,” according to the report. “The bullet caused injuries to her left lung, heart, and broke her rib.”
The driver then circled the spot of the shooting on a map provided by law authorities. A 9 mm hollow point bullet was later discovered in the back of the Altima’s driver seat.
“The bullet had passed through the trunk, the back seat, [Lyle’s] body, and lodged in the back of the driver’s seat,” according to the note. “The bullet’s flight was less than 2 feet from hitting the car seat where [the little girl] was seated.”
According to authorities, during a subsequent police interview, the Amazon coworker mentioned the revived gun-and-money debate with Corbitt. Soon, investigators discovered the defendant was the registered owner of a blue Impala.
A search warrant was obtained at Corbitt’s home, revealing a 9 mm magazine with hollow tip bullets. The Impala was towed, and prosecutors say they recovered a 9 mm Taurus revolver filled with hollow tip bullets. According to law authorities, a ballistics specialist connected the pistol and ammo in October 2024, determining that the recovered Taurus fired the fatal shot.
On October 4, 2024, Corbitt was indicted on eight counts.
In a custodial interview, he appeared to be open about his role in the death of the sleeping mother on the highway.
“Per Defendant, he fired the shot left-handed out of his driver’s side window as a warning shot,” according to the document. “He indicated that his gun jammed after the first shot.”
Under the terms of his plea agreement, two counts against him were dismissed, and the state and defense eventually agreed to the 21-year sentence issued by the judge on Friday.
Corbitt’s counsel states in the defense’s sentencing memo that the defendant is a father of a 3-year-old son who will never forget the “grave mistake” he committed by shooting at Lyle’s automobile.
“Corbitt did not know [Lyle] and her daughter were in the car,” the defense brief adds. “Had he known, the’scare’ shot to [his coworker] would not have resulted in termination. Corbitt regrets his actions that morning, especially because he is a parent of a young child.
The state, for its part, claimed that any “remorse expressed at this point lacks legitimacy” due to Corbitt’s previous utterances. In response, the defense claimed that past utterances, including attempts to defend himself, “should not be construed as a lack of remorse.”
Despite the back and forth arguments, the judge did not vary from the agreed-upon sentence of 21 years.
