BENSALEM, Pa. — A Trenton man accused of killing his girlfriend in a Bensalem hotel is headed to trial after all charges were held during a preliminary hearing Wednesday at the Bucks County Justice Center.
Orenthia Upshur, 51, is charged with the January 15, 2025 murder of Maisha Coon, 49, also of Trenton, New Jersey. The fatal shooting occurred inside a room at the Sleep Inn hotel in Bensalem Township.
Magisterial District Judge Joseph Falcone presided over the hearing, where three witnesses, including Detective Carlos Estevez of the New Jersey State Police Crime Suppression Central Unit, testified.
According to Estevez, Upshur admitted to killing Coon during a four-hour police interview, telling detectives, “It’s all going to end tonight,” while she was pleading for help.
The investigation began at 5:00 a.m. on January 15, when a family member walked into the Pennsylvania State Police Trevose Barracks, reporting that Upshur confessed to shooting his girlfriend. The same family member said the couple had been fighting recently, and he overheard an argument over the phone around 12:30 a.m. that night.
Using cell phone location data, troopers narrowed the search to a cluster of local hotels. At the Sleep Inn, investigators found Coon’s body in Room 317, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.
Bensalem Detective Brian Oliverio testified that officers found three spent bullet casings in the room and observed a bullet hole through the floor, leading into the room below.
Later that morning, at 4:30 a.m., Trenton Police responded to a 911 call reporting gunfire. When officers arrived, they heard additional shots and saw Upshur fleeing into a residence. Following a standoff with the Mercer County Tactical Response Team, Upshur was taken into custody. Police recovered a firearm believed to have been used in the homicide.
Upshur is charged with:
Criminal homicide
Kidnapping
Unlawful restraint
Persons not to possess firearms
Firearms not to be carried without a license
Possession of an instrument of crime
False imprisonment
Recklessly endangering another person
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Monica W. Furber and Assistant District Attorney Samantha Skibjak, following a joint investigation by Bensalem Township Police and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
