A 17-year-old Harrisburg girl named Dalaysia Terrell-Brown was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after fatally stabbing her 18-year-old boyfriend Ta’Mar Shaw inside an apartment in the 1400 block of Market Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Monday night April 6, 2026.
Officers responded around 10:52 p.m. to a report of a man losing blood and found Shaw seated in the kitchen with a stab wound to the chest while Terrell-Brown held a bloody white towel against the wound. Shaw was rushed to a hospital where he died the next day from his injuries. The Dauphin County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide noting the stab wound required significant force to penetrate the chest cavity.
Ta’Mar Shaw was a 18-year-old Steelton resident who was in a relationship with Terrell-Brown and had been with her in the apartment on Market Street. Family and friends described him as a young man with a bright future whose sudden death has left loved ones devastated.
Terrell-Brown told police the couple had argued earlier in the day but claimed the stabbing was accidental when Shaw asked for a kitchen knife to cut rolling papers for marijuana and the knife became wrapped in blankets. She said she was sitting on top of him when she moved the blankets and he suddenly yelled in pain.
Terrell-Brown allegedly posted multiple Instagram videos the night before the stabbing showing her threatening Shaw with a large knife. In one video a hand is seen attempting to stab him while she says “lmaoo cut that wrist up.”
Other videos show her holding a knife near him and throwing a serrated knife onto his neck while he lay in bed. Police recovered three knives from her room during the search of the apartment in the 1400 block of Market Street that matched the ones in the videos. Investigators also found blood-stained items including a white towel and a pink-colored sheet.
Dalaysia Terrell-Brown, 17, of Harrisburg was arrested on Tuesday April 7, 2026 and charged with first-degree murder possession of an instrument of crime and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was denied bail and is being held in the Dauphin County Prison. The Harrisburg Bureau of Police noted that she repeatedly asked only for an ambulance during the 911 call and did not request police. The investigation was aided by a Crime Stoppers tip that led to the recovery of the Instagram videos from her account.
The Harrisburg and broader Dauphin County community has been left in shock over the violent death of Ta’Mar Shaw in the apartment on Market Street with residents expressing concern over the domestic violence incident that escalated into a fatal stabbing. Family and friends have shared private tributes highlighting his positive presence while the city processes the tragedy that unfolded on April 6 2026. Local support networks have offered condolences to the victim’s loved ones during this difficult time in Harrisburg.
The Harrisburg Bureau of Police continues its active investigation into the April 6, 2026 stabbing in the 1400 block of Market Street urging anyone with additional information to contact detectives or submit tips online. The case remains open with focus on the evidence from the apartment scene including the Instagram videos and recovered knives. Authorities have confirmed the incident appears isolated to the domestic dispute with no ongoing threat to the public in Harrisburg Pennsylvania.
