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NJ Man Charged After Girlfriend Found Shot Dead In PA Hotel: Police Release Details

Authorities have revealed chilling new details about the murder of a Trenton woman found shot to death at a Pennsylvania hotel last week. Her boyfriend, who sparked a standoff in New Jersey hours later, has been charged with her killing, police said Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Orenthia Upshur, 51, is accused of shooting 49-year-old Maisha Coon inside a rented room at the Sleep Inn on Street Road in Bensalem in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Jan. 15.

The investigation began when a family member of Upshur’s walked into the Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Trevose at 5 a.m. that day. The relative told troopers that Upshur admitted to killing his girlfriend during a heated argument, police said. The family member had also overheard an argument between the couple on a phone call earlier that night, around 12:39 a.m., according to authorities.

Using Coon’s cell phone, state police pinpointed her location near the Country Commons Apartments in Bensalem and coordinated with local police and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office to search hotels in the area.

State troopers checked the Sleep Inn and found that Coon had rented a room there the day before. Inside the room, police discovered her body on the floor with apparent gunshot wounds.

Meanwhile, Trenton police were called to Parkside Avenue and Oak Lane around 4:30 a.m. for reports of gunfire. Officers arriving at the scene heard additional shots and saw a man—later identified as Upshur—running into a nearby home.

Gunshots continued to ring out as police surrounded the home and evacuated nearby residents, officials said. The Mercer County Tactical Response Team was called in and eventually entered the house, apprehending Upshur without further incident. Police recovered a gun believed to have been used in Coon’s homicide, investigators said.

Upshur has been charged with Criminal Homicide and related offenses in Pennsylvania and faces additional charges in New Jersey. Authorities from both states are working to determine when he will be extradited to Bucks County for prosecution.

Bensalem police praised the swift collaboration among agencies, saying, “This was a cooperative effort by multiple agencies to swiftly bring a violent suspect into custody,” in a statement thanking the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, and Trenton Police Department for their assistance.  

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