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Elijah Patterson, now 19, was found guilty following a three-day trial of First-Degree Murder, Firearms Not to be Carried Without a License, and Possession of a Firearm by a Minor, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan.
Tracy, a sophomore at William Allen High School and a junior varsity football player, was shot and killed at Stevens' Park, 630 N. 6th Street, on Sept. 25, 2022. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:15 p.m. after suffering three gunshot wounds to the face and torso, the coroner ruled.
The deadly altercation stemmed from a dare involving a discarded cake and a bag of chips, prosecutors said. Patterson allegedly dared Tracy to eat a cake that had been left on a park picnic table in exchange for chips. When Tracy complied but didn’t receive the chips, the situation escalated.
Patterson and Tracy began arguing, with Patterson challenging Tracy to a fight. Tracy retrieved a box cutter, but while he was sitting on a picnic table, Patterson pulled out a handgun and shot him in the face, authorities said. As Tracy fell, Patterson fired twice more into his back before fleeing the scene.
Patterson was arrested the next day at a home in the 400 block of Tilghman Street.
Because he was 16 at the time of the killing, Patterson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years in state prison and a potential maximum of life. His sentencing is scheduled for May 7 before Judge James T. Anthony.
The case was investigated by Allentown Police Detective Joshua Baker and Sgt. Stephen Fiorillo, alongside the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force. It was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey D. Burd and Deputy District Attorney Tadd J. Turczyn.
Tracy was remembered as “full of life” by loved ones, and a GoFundMe was previously launched to assist with funeral expenses.
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