Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Investigation Discovery’s On the Case With Paula Zahn chronicles the 2014 murder of Tiffany Pugh. Tiffany was the wife of Atlanta DJ Andre Pugh, aka DJ Awesome. The episode “When the Music’s Over” will air on the network this Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET.
A synopsis for the upcoming episode reads, “Police discover that the successful wife of a popular DJ has been murdered; the array of video cameras in the neighborhood could help bring her killer to justice.”
CBS News reported that first responders found Tiffany Pugh fatally shot inside their home in East Point on November 23, 2014. She died of two gunshot wounds: one to her eye and the other to the chest. Authorities initially believed that Tiffany’s murder was a robbery-gone-wrong incident, reported Oxygen. However, they learned that Tiffany and Andre were having marital problems and that she was about to divorce him.
Using phone and financial records, detectives linked Andre and his best friend, Adrian Harley, to Tiffany Pugh’s murder. Authorities arrested both Andre and Adrian in December of that same year in connection with the murder, per People Magazine. They believed Andre orchestrated the crime while Adrian pulled the trigger after the former hired him.
Andre Pugh stood trial in 2018, while Adrian Harley’s trial occurred in 2022, several years after the crime. The case resulted in two separate convictions. Both convicts then received life sentences.
Who were the suspects convicted of Tiffany Pugh’s murder & where are they now?
Andre Pugh was convicted of murder for hiring his best friend for his wife Tiffany Pugh’s killing. The case also resulted in the conviction of the hired hitman, Adrian Harley, years after the murder occurred.
CBS News stated that on the morning of November 23, 2014, Andre called 911 and told the operator about his wife’s murder. However, he claimed that he had not been inside the house yet. Andre further explained he got a call from the alarm company about a break-in at his house. When officers arrived at the crime scene, he told them, “My kids are in there! She’s not picking up the phone.”
Andre was working at Club Onyx that night and had a solid alibi, reported Oxygen. Detectives believed Tiffany Pugh’s death was the result of a robbery gone wrong. However, they soon learned about the couple’s marital problems. Tiffany’s close friends claimed that she was going to divorce Andre. CBS News stated that two-and-a-half weeks before the murder, she had contacted an attorney for a consultation on a divorce.
Detectives learned from Andre’s phone data that he had been “begging her not to leave him,” per Oxygen. The phone data also revealed that he was in touch with several other women, arranging sexual meetings when his wife was out of town.
Moreover, the couple’s financial records suggested that Tiffany Pugh, whose career was booming at Delta Airlines, brought in the majority of finances. Investigators said, “When Tiffany was going to move out, Andre was trying to figure out how he could switch the mortgage into his name. But the bank wouldn’t do it because he didn’t have credit.” To authorities, this seemed like a possible murder motive.
While going through Andre Pugh’s phone records, detectives learned that he had been talking to his best friend, Adrian Harley, before Tiffany Pugh’s murder. When authorities questioned Adrian, he did not have a solid alibi. Additionally, Google GPS and cellphone records, among other data from his phone, revealed that he was near the crime scene around the time of the murder.
Per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, cell phone records showed that Adrian and Andre talked on the phone and exchanged messages that night. The two then met in downtown Atlanta 30 minutes before Tiffany’s murder. Moreover, Adrian’s car was similar to the one that security footage recorded outside the Pugh family’s home.
Authorities believed that Andre orchestrated the murder and had hired Adrian to pull the trigger. According to Oxygen, Andre denied any involvement and blamed Adrian for Tiffany’s murder. He alleged that Tiffany owed Adrian money, and that’s why he “murdered her.” Andre claimed that Adrian had confessed to him about the crime. They arrested both suspects in December 2014 and charged them with murder and other charges.
FindLaw reported that Andre Pugh’s trial started on September 24, 2018, and lasted until October 5, 2018. A jury eventually convicted Andre on all counts nearly four years after Tiffany Pugh’s murder-for-hire. The counts included murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and other charges, per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He then received a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole.
WSB-TV reported that the hired hitman, Adrian Harley, stood trial years later in 2022. The trial resulted in his conviction, following which he also received a life sentence in prison. According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Andre is serving his sentence in the Hancock State Prison. Meanwhile, Adrian remains incarcerated in the Smith State Prison.
On the Case With Paula Zahn‘s episode on Tiffany Pugh’s murder case airs on April 3, 2023, on ID.
