Northeast Pa. man sentenced to decades in prison for Chester County nightclub murder

A Northeastern Pennsylvania man who turned a drunken fistfight in a Chester County nightclub into a deadly shooting was sentenced Monday to 20 to 40 years in prison.

In early March, a jury found Dominic “Buddha” Poulson, 30, of Luzerne County, guilty of third-degree murder and carrying a gun without a license in the death of Victor Wilson.

The shooting took place in September 2017, after the men crossed paths at the Malibu Club in South Coatesville, according to police.

They began arguing by the door shortly after Wilson arrived. The fight turned physical, and at one point Wilson pushed Poulson to the ground, according to court documents.

The two then walked outside for what was to be a “fair” fistfight, witnesses told police. But instead, Poulson shot Wilson with a revolver. Wilson fell and Poulson stood over him on the street, shot him several times, and fled, according to the documents.

Wilson, a 40-year-old produce manager at an Acme Market, was pronounced dead at the scene.

During the trial, Poulson’s attorney said the shooting was in self-defense. He said Poulson believed that Wilson was reaching for a box cutter. Prosecutors noted that no such weapon was found at the scene.

The party was crowded, and many who witnessed the altercation aided police. Poulson was easy to identify, authorities said, because of tattoos on his forehead and neck that read “CTF” for Cut Throat Family. That is a criminal organization active throughout the Northeastern United States, then-District Attorney Thomas P. Hogan said at the time.

“This is a case where a shoving match turned into a cold-blooded murder,” Hogan said after Poulson’s arrest. “The victim, a hardworking guy who was just celebrating a promotion, was gunned down because an out-of-town criminal felt disrespected.”