NORRISTOWN — Three men, two from Norristown and one from Philadelphia, will have to go to Montgomery County Court to face charges for allegedly taking part in the robbery of a man who was shot and killed during the incident.
Damon Brantley Jr., 18, of the 1000 block of West Beech Street, Norristown, Daquan Tyrone Allen, 29, of the 500 block of Norris Street, Norristown, and Jerry Lamar Butler, 29, of the 500 block of East Clarkson Avenue, Philadelphia, were held for trial on homicide and robbery related charges after a 3½ hour preliminary hearing on Friday before District Court Judge Todd N. Barnes, in connection with the alleged Jan. 20, 2024, robbery and fatal shooting of William Carter in the unit block of West Wood Street in Norristown.
Barnes decided that prosecutors had enough evidence during the hearing to proceed with the trials for the three men.
Brantley, who is believed to have pulled the trigger, is facing first- and second-degree murder charges, as well as charges of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, and multiple weapons offenses.
Butler and Allen, who are believed to be the getaway driver, are each facing second-degree murder, robbery, and conspiracy to commit robbery charges.
First-degree murder, which is an intentional killing, and second-degree murder, a killing that happens during the course of a felony like robbery, come with mandatory life prison terms if convicted.
The preliminary hearing for the three men was held at the courthouse instead of at Barnes’ smaller district court office due to space and security concerns.
The victim's family and friends, as well as supporters of the accused, packed the courtroom, while many other Norristown residents who couldn't enter lingered outside. The defendants' supporters shouted and joked with the three men, and took photos with their cellphones as the trio was escorted by the sheriff’s deputies to and from the courtroom.
“I’m coming home,” Butler said with a smile at one point.
“I’m innocent,” Brantley told a reporter, while Allen shouted an expletive at the reporter.
A large group of county sheriff’s deputies and Norristown police were present and kept order as spectators shouted at each other as they left the courthouse after the hearing.
During the hearing, county prosecutors Meghan Carney and Jediah Grobstein called two county detectives who gave testimony that video and cellphone evidence connected the men to the robbery and fatal shooting. Prosecutors showed video surveillance footage that captured the fatal shooting, showing the moment Brantley allegedly fired three times at Carter, hitting him once in the head.
Carney argued that the suspect used a deadly weapon on a crucial part of Mr. Carter's body, specifically his head.
According to County Detective John Wittenberger, investigators discovered three 9mm fired cartridge casings at the scene.
Wittenberger stated that the firearm seemed to be a semiautomatic with an extended magazine, as seen in the surveillance footage.
Detective Mark Minzola stated that data from the men's cellphones indicated they were near the location of the fatal shooting shortly before or at the time of the incident.
West Norriton Police Corporal William Sheppard, who worked at Norristown High School, identified a photo of Brantley at a basketball game at the school between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 20. Prosecutors claimed the clothing Brantley wore was similar to that of the alleged shooter later that night when Carter was shot.
Brantley was 17 at the time of the supposed Jan. 20 robbery and killing but turned 18 seven days later.
Defense lawyers argued that prosecutors did not provide enough evidence to hold the men for trial.
Allen, Butler and Brantley were brought from Endicott, N.Y., to Montgomery County by the U.S. Marshals Service several days after the alleged incident.
Justin Lyaire Davis, 16, of Norristown, was held for trial on homicide, robbery and conspiracy charges during a prior preliminary hearing before Barnes.
Davis, who was charged as an adult due to the violent nature of the alleged offense, is represented by defense lawyer James P. Lyons.
All four males are charged under accomplice liability theories and they are being held in the county jail without bail pending trial.
Katherine Lynn Emel, 29, previously was held for trial on charges of second-degree murder and robbery in connection with the incident.
Detectives alleged that Emel provided information about the victim's whereabouts and told one of the robbers about the victim's recent gambling win, resulting in the charges against her.
The investigation began at around 7:53 p.m. Jan. 20 when police responded to the report of shots fired at West Wood and Powell streets. Carter, 35, was found dead on the sidewalk on the west side of West Wood Street.
Carter got shot in the head, and authorities said the shooting happened at 7:49 p.m., according to testimony.
Investigators found out Carter only had some keys with him, and no money or cellphone.
The investigation uncovered that Carter had left a nearby house to withdraw money from a white Buick LeSabre.
Detectives got video footage showing Carter leaving the Buick, and as he crossed the street, three males, Brantley, Butler and Davis, got out of a gray Toyota RAV-4 and robbed Carter, according to detectives.
The fourth male, Allen, stayed in the driver’s seat of the Toyota, according to court papers.
After the three suspects robbed Carter, one of them, Brantley, reportedly pointed a gun at Carter and fired three shots at close range, hitting Carter in the head, according to the criminal complaint.
"The succession of the three gunshots was so fast that detectives believed the gun had an illegal ‘switch’ installed, enabling it to operate in automatic fashion," Wittenberger and Sowell claimed. "In addition, it is obvious this gun is equipped with an extended magazine."
After the robbery, Brantley, Butler and Davis got into the RAV-4, and Allen, the alleged driver, then drove away, heading west on West Wood Street.
Detectives used surveillance footage to create photos of the suspects, which were released to the media and helped in identifying and capturing the suspects.
On Jan. 21, authorities found the RAV-4 getaway car was set on fire and destroyed, and authorities accused Brantley of setting it on fire.
During the preliminary hearing, Carney presented photos of Brantley, taken shortly after his arrest, which showed him with burns on his face and ears and singed eyebrows.
Detectives later found out that the Buick Carter was driving the night he was killed belonged to Emel, his girlfriend, who had placed a GPS tracking device in the car’s trunk, according to the arrest affidavit.
An analysis of cellphone records, interviews of witnesses and other investigative techniques revealed that Emel had communicated with co-defendant Allen multiple times before Carter’s robbery and murder, telling Allen that Carter had recently won $3,000 gambling, according to court documents.
Emel allegedly told Allen about Carter’s 'daily agenda' and provided the location where Carter was going to be on the evening of Jan. 20, according to court documents. Emel, authorities alleged, was upset because she believed Carter wasn’t paying his fair share of their bills.
After the murder, footage from a business on North Broad Street in Philadelphia showed Emel and Allen meeting between 9:31 and 9:48 p.m., where Allen gave $700 to Emel, according to the arrest affidavit.
