Uniontown homicide victim remembered as loving father who made everyone laugh
Thalia Juarez | Herald-Standard
Six-year-old Gianna and 5-year-old Giovanni Mapstone wanted to show their t-shirts made in memory of their father Jordan Mapstone.
Tears and laughter were shared by the Mapstone family as they shared stories of 24-year-old Jordan Michael Mapstone in the home where Jordan lived with his children and family. Jordan Mapstone was shot and killed after two people allegedly plotted a robbery against him and his girlfriend under the guise of a drug deal.
Jordan Michael Mapstone, 24, of Brownsville is seen pictured with his daughter Aleyia Mapstone. Jordan is remembered by his family as a very loving father to his three children and who made everyone laugh.
Herald-Standard
In this March 2017 photo, Jordan Michael Mapstone, 24, of Brownsville is remembered by his family as a very loving father who made everyone laugh. The Mapstone family along with friends gathered at the apartment where he lived with several family members and his children to comfort one another and share stories about Jordan.
Jordan Michael Mapstone, 24, of Brownsville is remembered by his family as a very loving father to his three children, 6-year-old Gionna, and 5-year-old’s Giovonni and Aleyia Mapstone. Mapstone was shot and killed after two people allegedly plotted a robbery against him and his girlfriend under the guise of a drug deal.
A fatal shooting stole one member of the Mapstone household, but it couldn’t steal their laughter.
Jordan Michael Mapstone, 24, of Brownsville was shot once in the chest after two people allegedly plotted a robbery under the guise of a drug deal in Uniontown on Sunday. Arsuan Lee Patterson and Keli Marie Brumley, both 19 and of Uniontown, are lodged in Fayette County Prison without bond on criminal homicide and related charges.
Police said Trisa Stickle was trying to buy Xanax from Brumley on Dunlap Street. She and Mapstone, her passenger, were instead met by Patterson, who allegedly put a gun through the window of the vehicle after demanding $80. Stickle accelerated and Mapstone was shot, saying “Babe, I got hit.” She drove him to Uniontown Hospital, where he died.
“He didn’t deserve that,” said his mother, Jennifer Mapstone. “He was genuine and good, and he loved people.”
A large group of family and friends gathered at his South Hills Terrace apartment Wednesday, where he lived with several family members and his children. Bouts of tears were interrupted by funny stories.
“We’re going to get through it. We’re a strong family,” said his brother, Joshua Mapstone, 22.
He said his older brother taught him respect.
“That’s the person I looked up to,” he said. “Can’t do that no more.”
He bowed his head to cry and excused himself, but only made it a few steps before his late brother’s 6-year-old daughter caught him in the kitchen, throwing her small arms around his legs. His anguish dissolved into a quick smile.
“I love you baby,” he said.
His family said Jordan was a very loving father to his three children, 6-year-old Gionna Mapstone, 5-year-old Giovonni Mapstone and 5-year-old Aleyia Mapstone.
“When I see them, I see him,” Joshua said. “I’m blessed to have them, and I love them.”
Gionna gleefully posed for a photo while Giovonni hopped across the floor and into the frame.
“They’re just like their daddy,” Joshua said.
“My boy loved the camera,” said Jennifer, laughing about how frequently he would take photos and videos of himself.
Jordan’s 19-year-old sister, Justus Mapstone, sat on her mother’s lap. She said she was taking a video of her friends dancing last week when he jumped into the shot and started dancing, too.
“I loved everything about my brother,” she said. “He knew how to make me laugh.”
She said he loved music and briefly tried his hand at rapping.
“What was the name of that group?” asked a family member in another room.
“Blackstrap,” his aunt, Kari Mapstone responded, prompting a fresh burst of laughter.
“They just thought they were going to get discovered, because they were the best,” his mother said. “They even had professional photos done.”
Kari said she and her husband, Craig “Crabby” Mapstone, were close to the boys. They took them on vacations to Atlantic City, the Outer Banks of North Carolina and WrestleMania.
“Every time you saw him, you’d have a story,” Kari said to her husband.
She said the boys, only two years apart, were very close. Crabby said Joshua had difficulty pronouncing words as a child, and Jordan served as his translator.
“He’d say ‘Eewannacooka!’,” Crabby said, mimicking garbled baby talk. “And you’d look at him. And then Jordan said, ‘He wants a cookie.’ We’d say, ‘How’d you get that?'”
His family members said Jordan was known for saying things that were unexpectedly funny, often prompting curious expressions and raised eyebrows.
“Whenever he left the room, you were definitely smiling,” Crabby said. “Or laughing at him. One of the two.”