Courts. (Credit: Flickr/Creative Commons)
A Lansdale woman received a maximum 23-month jail sentence for lying to a grand jury and aiding and abetting her boyfriend, who killed 25-year-old Daquan Tucker on the Schuylkill River Trail in March 2023.
Hailey Anne Covelens, 21, of Beechwood Avenue, was give nine to 23 months in Montgomery County jail, per court records. She pleaded guilty in August to perjury and conspiring to hinder apprehension, according to court documents, and was facing up to nine years on the charges.
Her boyfriend, Cody Kavon Reed, 24, was given life in prison for the shooting death of Tucker, 25, on March 2, 2023. Reed's co-defendant, Marquise Alexander Johnson, 24, of East Johnson Street, Philadelphia, was also convicted of first-degree murder.
The duo were eventually nabbed in Atlantic City by U.S. Marshals on April 6, after 34 days on the lam.An investigation revealed Covelens used her credit card to buy food in New Jersey for the murderers.
During their short time as fugitives, Covelens pleaded guilty in August to aiding Johnson’s girlfriend, Brianna Rose Radley, 21, of Oxford Circle, Upper Gwynedd, in the getaway of their boyfriends after the homicide, per the report.
Radley also received nine to 23 months in jail in October.
According to KYW NewsRadio, Covelens tried to convince the court that working two jobs and cutting off people from her previous lifestyle has meant she is getting her life back together.
However, prosecutor Kathleen McLaughlin reminded the court that Covelens had already served jail time for lying to buy Reed a gun, and said they had evidence that she is still in contact with Reed after his conviction.
Per the report, Covelens' defense attorney tried to get house arrest and probation, but the judge did not buy it. Lying to a grand jury is serious business, per prosecutors.
"On top of that, it wasn't just for any crime that she lied about. This was for people who were wanted for murder and who were on the run," said McLaughlin, according to KYW.
“Both Radley and Covelens were vague, non-committal and at times lied during their grand jury testimony,” county Detective Heather Long wrote in the initial criminal complaint. “Radley and Covelens supplied transportation, monetary funds and housing to Johnson and Reed, which allowed them to hide without detection for over a month.”
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
