Hatboro businessman faces trial in January for fatal shooting during argument with racist slurs

NORRISTOWN — A Hatboro businessman said he is looking for “truth, fairness and facts” when he goes on trial in January. He is accused of shooting an unarmed man during a physical altercation after the victim allegedly yelled a racial slur at him outside the store.

“I can't speak to the facts of the case, but I look forward to truth, fairness and facts. There is a lot of misinformation and representations that need to be corrected,” Maurice Anthony Byrd Jr. said Thursday as he was led out of a Montgomery County courtroom where he pleaded not guilty in connection with the alleged June 8, 2024, firearms killing of 37-year-old Stephen Strassburg outside a residential and commercial building in the 200 block of North York Road in Hatboro.

When asked if he intended to testify at his trial, Byrd replied, “No further comment.”

Byrd, 41, of Applewood Court, was formally charged with murder during a brief hearing, where he waived a formal reading of the charges against him and pleaded not guilty.

Judge William R. Carpenter has set a trial date for Byrd of January 6, 2025. Jury selection will begin at that time and the trial is expected to last several days.

Strassburg was a tenant of the North York Road property and lived on the second floor above Byrd's business, Razor Reese's Salon and Spa. Byrd rented the first floor space for his barbershop.

If convicted of premeditated murder, i.e. intentional killing, the penalty is life imprisonment. If convicted of premeditated murder, i.e. killing committed with malice, cruelty, hardness of heart or recklessness, the penalty is a maximum of 20 to 40 years in prison.

Strasburg's mother and sister attended the brief hearing Thursday and declined to comment afterward. Byrd was supported in court by several relatives.

Byrd, who was represented Thursday by criminal defense attorney Karen R. Thek, deputy chief murder attorney in the public defense office, did not disclose his defense strategy.

Preliminary testimony

However, at a preliminary hearing in July, second defense attorney James P. Lyons argued that Byrd acted in self-defense after Strassburg racially abused and attacked him “as he ran away from a person who was pursuing him very aggressively, obviously with the intent to harm him.”

“This is a case of self-defense. There has to be some evidence of intent, a specific intent to cause this man's death, and that is absolutely not the case in this case. That is simply not the case,” Lyons argued earlier at the preliminary hearing. “It was a threat. And that is why he shoots as he walks away.”

Strassburg suffered two gunshot wounds to the face and back, and one bullet penetrated his brain. Authorities claimed none of the shots were fired at close range.

But Assistant District Attorney Samantha Cauffman claims Byrd intended to kill Strassburg.

“He wanted this interaction to end so he could use his weapon. He was fed up. He was being called something that no one else should be called, and he was looking for a reason, an opportunity,” Cauffman argued during the preliminary hearing in July. “What our victim said in this case, the words she used are absolutely unacceptable and offensive, but that doesn't give anyone a reason or justification to shoot her.”

The investigation began at about 5:45 p.m. on June 8, when Hatboro police responded to a report of a disturbance at the salon after Byrd called 911 to report that he had been “verbally assaulted” by a white man who called him a racial slur, according to the criminal complaint filed by District Detective Heather Long and Hatboro Detective Sergeant Conner Dilks.

Byrd is black and Strassburg was white.

During Byrd's 2-minute, 49-second 911 call, Strasburg could be heard in the background saying, “What are you going to do, you want to shoot me,” using the racist slur, according to the affidavit.

“Immediately thereafter, seven shots were heard. There was an initial volley of five shots, a brief pause, and then two more shots,” Long and Dilks stated in the criminal complaint.

According to court documents, Byrd said on the 911 call, “I just had to shoot him.” The dispatcher asked, “Did you hit him?” to which Byrd allegedly responded, “Yes, I did.”

During the preliminary hearing, Cauffman also presented video and audio recordings from a surveillance camera inside the barbershop that documented the events leading up to the shooting and before Byrd's call to 911.

According to testimony, video and audio evidence showed Byrd opening the front door of his store and telling someone who was not in the picture but who authorities said was Strasburg to come in. According to testimony, Byrd could allegedly be heard from inside his store saying to himself, “I'm going to shoot you.”

“Why would he want him to come in? Because if you're on my property, it's much easier to get away with 'I'm going to shoot you,'” Cauffman argued at the preliminary hearing. “He's egging him on and trying to entice him to do it.”

Authorities claimed that Strasbourg did not enter the barber shop.

Byrd then allegedly called 911 to report that he was being “verbally attacked.” Although 911 dispatchers told him to keep his distance from the victim and police were on the way, Byrd left his store, where he spoke with Strasburg and fired the shots, Cauffman argued at the preliminary hearing, suggesting that Byrd could have locked the doors because he could have ensured the security of his store and did not.

“All of these things show what his intention was,” Cauffman previously argued.

It is up to the jury to decide whether self-defense plays a role in this case.

The investigation

Emergency responders found Strassburg in the parking lot outside the store. He had multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Investigators who examined the scene recovered seven 9mm shell casings and a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol, which Byrd had a valid permit to carry. Strassburg did not have a weapon on him at the time of the shooting.

During the investigation, detectives learned of ongoing disputes between Byrd and Strassburg. Since December 2022, Hatboro police have been to the North York Road address three times to investigate verbal altercations between the men, the arrest affidavit states.

The altercations were all verbal in nature and ended with Hatboro police warning people to avoid contact with each other.

When investigators questioned Byrd, he claimed he was standing outside his store smoking a cigarette when he noticed Strassburg yelling a racial slur at him. Byrd told investigators he went into his store to get his cellphone and call 911, then went back outside, where Strassburg approached him.

According to his statement to detectives, Byrd claimed he backed further into the parking lot when Strassburg grabbed Byrd's shirt.

Byrd reportedly told investigators he pulled his gun from his waistband and Strassburg responded, “What are you going to do? Shoot me,” while repeating the racist slur and pulling his arm back as if to hit Byrd, according to the criminal complaint.

“Byrd fired several shots and dropped his cell phone. This occurred while Byrd was on the phone with 911,” Long and Dilks stated. “After Strassburg was on the ground, Byrd dropped his gun and retrieved his cell phone. Byrd spoke with 911 after the shooting until police arrived.”

A witness told investigators that he saw Strassburg verbally confront Byrd, hurl racist abuse at him and “attack Maurice” during a physical altercation. He then heard several gunshots, the criminal complaint states.