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Thread: Khailyl Chambers Sentenced to 2 Life Terms in 2009 Slayings of Bruce Palmer and Jackie Scott

  1. #1
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    Khailyl Chambers Sentenced to 2 Life Terms in 2009 Slayings of Bruce Palmer and Jackie Scott

    Montgomery County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a Lansdale man who allegedly shot and killed two people outside a Norristown bar last summer.

    Khailyl Chambers, 19, appeared before Montgomery County Judge Thomas P. Rogers on Thursday afternoon for an arraignment and entered a not guilty plea to murder charges.

    The defendant, reportedly distraught about his cousin Ryan Banjoman’s death in a motorcycle accident on the Dannehower Bridge in Norristown, allegedly shot and killed 31-year-old Bruce Palmer and 22-year-old Jackie Scott minutes after the two left the Roo House Tavern around 2 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, 2009, according to court papers.

    After the brief hearing, Chambers’ defense lawyer William R. McElroy explained the plea, and his client signed court paperwork before being escorted from the courtroom.

    When Palmer and Scott came out of the Willow Street bar that night, Chambers allegedly walked over and shot the Wyndmoor woman twice in the head, then turned on the Norristown man and fired at him several times. In all, the gunman fired a dozen shots from the 9mm handgun.

    To avoid being hit by gunfire, Palmer crawled under a Dodge Durango parked on the street, but he suffered bullet wounds in his cheek, neck, upper arm, thigh, leg and hip, according to authorities.

    The couple was transported to Hahnemann University Hospital for treatment; both later died there.

    “It’s a particularly vicious killing of two people who just walked out of a bar after a night out,” said Assistant District Attorney Thomas McGoldrick, who is prosecuting the case with Assistant DA Abigail Silverman.

    “The defendant literally walked up and executed them on the street,” he alleged.

    Four days before the double homicide, Chambers’ cousin was killed after she was flung off a speeding motorcycle that hit a car on the Dannehower Bridge. Banjoman hit the bridge’s railing and fell into the Schuylkill River.

    Julian Mansfield, who was operating the motorcycle, admitted causing her death; however, prosecutors don’t believe Chambers ever sought revenge against Mansfield. Instead, Chambers allegedly vented his anger on two strangers.

    “To me, the motive still remains unclear,” McGoldrick said.

    Chambers is also facing attempted murder charges in a separate shooting case that wounded a man in Norristown.

    McGoldrick said Montgomery County DA Risa Vetri Ferman evaluated the case and determined there were several aggravating factors that warranted the death penalty, which include the two homicides, the use of an illegal firearm and that Chambers’ created a grave risk to others who were out on Willow Street that night just after the bar closed.

    Surveillance camera video showed Chambers walk across the street to the sidewalk outside the tavern an hour before the murders. According to the criminal complaint, Chambers met two men for a short time, then the three split up.

    The defendant and one of his companions from the video were both standing near the victims just before shooting, prosecutors allege, then they ran from the scene.

    While Chambers was being held in Montgomery County Prison for an October 2009 shooting, he reportedly bragged about a double murder, according to an inmate. And the defendant, who had lived with his mother on Berwick Place in Lansdale before his arrest, allegedly told a friend he had “put that work in,” meaning he had killed the couple, according to authorities.

    The murder trial is scheduled for April.

    http://timesherald.com/articles/2010/08/27/news/doc4c774307ab3ff925449088.txt

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    Double murder suspect requests venue or jury switch

    A 19-year-old former Towamencin man awaiting trial on murder and attempted murder charges in connection with two Norristown shootings claims pretrial publicity prevents him from receiving a fair trial in the attempted murder case.

    Khailyl A. Chambers, formerly of the 100 block of Berwick Place, in court papers filed Thursday, asked a Montgomery County judge to move his trial on attempted murder charges to another county or to select a jury from another county.

    Defense lawyer Kate M. Kelly argued that since Chambers’ arrest last November, his case “has been exposed to an incessant barrage of coverage in all media, including radio, television and newspapers that has reached virtually every household in Montgomery County.”

    “Petitioner, Khailyl Chambers, is now widely and unfavorably known and talked of in Montgomery County. Petitioner cannot have a fair and impartial trial in Montgomery County,” Kelly wrote in the petition.

    A judge has not yet scheduled a hearing on Chambers’ request.

    Chambers is currently awaiting trial on charges in connection with the Oct. 23, 2009, shooting of a 20-year-old Norristown man during an altercation among a group of young men in Norristown’s East End.

    Chambers is charged with attempted murder, aggravated and simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the alleged 1:45 a.m. shooting at Basin and Willow streets, during which the Norristown man was shot in the back and wounded.

    That shooting occurred after Chambers and two other men allegedly arrived in a sport utility vehicle at the scene of a fight that involved two other men. About a dozen young men were reportedly present during the fight.

    Witnesses told police that Chambers shot the victim while the victim was trying to break up the fight between the other two men, one of whom allegedly was friends with Chambers. The victim was shot in the back and the bullet exited his chest, police said.

    The victim walked to Montgomery Hospital and was later transported by medical helicopter to a Philadelphia hospital where he spent 10 days being treated and recovering from the gunshot wound.

    Chambers, who most recently lived with his mother on Locust Street in Norristown, is also awaiting trial on charges of first-degree murder in connection with the 2 a.m. June 27, 2009, shooting deaths of Bruce Palmer and Jackie Scott minutes after the couple left the Roo House Tavern on Willow Street in Norristown.

    Authorities alleged Chambers was upset after his cousin, 19-year-old Ryan Banjoman, was killed in a motorcycle crash on the Dannehower Bridge in Norristown four days earlier. Chambers allegedly vented his anger by gunning down Palmer, 31, and Scott, 22, two strangers who had no connection to Julian Mansfield, the motorcyclist who has admitted to causing the crash that killed Banjoman.

    When Palmer and Scott came out of the bar, Chambers allegedly walked over and shot the woman twice in the head. He then allegedly turned on Palmer and shot him several times in the cheek, neck, upper arm, thigh, leg and hip, according to court papers.

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Chambers if he’s convicted of a first-degree murder charge at trial, which is tentatively slated for next April.

    Earlier this year, Chambers was convicted by a jury of charges of theft by unlawful taking, theft by receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in connection with an October 2009 incident during which he stole a vehicle belonging to a Norristown man.

    Chambers, according to Norristown police, stole a 1997 GMC Jimmy that was parked on Park Alley at Elm Street shortly after midnight Oct. 31, 2009. The owner of the vehicle observed the theft and immediately notified police. Chambers subsequently crashed the vehicle and was apprehended.

    Chambers faces a possible maximum sentence of eight to 16 years in prison on the theft-related charges. Chambers remains in jail without bail while awaiting court action on all his charges.

    http://mainlinemedianews.com/articles/2010/09/10/king_of_prussia_courier/news/doc4c8a4408e87e4168972316.txt

  3. #3
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    Defense in double homicide wants to bar death penalty

    A defense attorney for Khailyl Chambers, who is facing the death penalty for allegedly shooting a couple outside a Willow Street bar in 2009, filed a motion in December to bar Montgomery County prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in his case, according to court papers.

    Chambers, who is 19, appeared in court before Montgomery County Judge Thomas P. Rogers Wednesday with defense attorneys Bruce A. Bauer III and William R. McElroy. On Dec. 2, Bauer filed a motion to quash the death penalty notice claiming the prosecution had not proved any aggravating circumstances, which he argued is necessary to bring a capital case.

    The defendant, reportedly distraught about his cousin Ryan Banjoman’s death in a motorcycle accident on the Dannehower Bridge in Norristown on June 23, 2009, allegedly shot and killed 31-year-old Bruce Palmer and 22-year-old Jackie Scott, who he didn't know, four days later after the two left the Roo House Tavern after its 2 a.m. closing, according to court papers.

    Two days after Banjoman’s death, Chambers is pictured in The Times Herald standing and hugging a woman in front of a makeshift shrine to his dead cousin. Protruding from his waistband is the butt of a handgun.

    On June 27, Chambers fired 12 shots at the couple outside the bar with a 9mm handgun he had illegally, according to prosecutors.

    At his preliminary hearing a year later, Anthony Lochetto, a friend who was with Chambers when the fatal shootings occurred, testified he saw the defendant shoot the victims.

    When Palmer and Scott came out of the Willow Street bar that night, Chambers walked over and shot the Wyndmoor woman twice in the head, according to the prosecution, then turned on the Norristown man and fired at him several times.

    In attempt to shield himself from the gunfire, Palmer crawled under a Dodge Durango parked on the street, but Chambers shot at him under the truck, and Scott suffered bullet wounds in his cheek, neck, upper arm, thigh, leg and hip, according to authorities.

    Willow Street was crowded with pedestrians at the time, and the shooting posed a risk to them.

    At the time of his arrest, Chambers was living with his mother on Berwick Place in Lansdale. While being held in Montgomery County Prison for an October 2009 shooting, he reportedly bragged about a double murder, according to an inmate. And the defendant allegedly told a friend he had “put that work in,” meaning he had killed the couple, according to authorities.

    In the motion to quash the death penalty, Bauer argued no evidence was presented by prosecutors at the preliminary hearing to prove an aggravating factor, and according to Pennsylvania law, at least one aggravating circumstance is required for a death penalty case.

    Assistant District Attorneys Thomas W. McGoldrick and Abigail J. Silverman, however, argue that “It is well established that the Commonwealth has no pre-trial burden of proving an aggravating factor,” according to prosecutors’ response to the motion. And the prosecutors state the case is properly framed as a capital one if at least one aggravating factor is “supported by any evidence.”

    The prosecution claims there is ample evidence supporting aggravating factors, including committing murder while violating firearms laws, knowingly creating a grave risk of death to another person in addition to the victims and killing a second person.

    According to the prosecution’s response, “When a defendant commits more than one first-degree murder during a given episode, one murder is an aggravating circumstance for the other murder.”

    After arguments Wednesday, Judge Rogers took the defense’s motion to bar the death penalty under advisement. The murder trial is scheduled to begin April 4.

    http://www.timesherald.com/articles/...txt?viewmode=2

  4. #4
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    Double homicide trial for Khailyl Chambers continued

    The death penalty trial of Khailyl Chambers slated to begin in April has been postponed for now to allow more time for psychological testing of the defendant.

    Chambers, 19, who is accused of fatally shooting Bruce Palmer and Jackie Scott outside a Willow Street bar in Norristown on July 27, 2009, appeared before Montgomery County Judge Thomas P. Rogers Monday morning, who granted the defense a continuance. The trial has not yet been rescheduled.

    Last week, the prosecution filed pre-trial motions seeking to introduce evidence allegedly showing the defendant possessed a handgun before and after the murders and sought retribution against Palmer, according to court papers. A third motion asks the court to allow photographs of the victims following the shooting.

    Previously it was reported that Chambers fired on the couple, who he apparently did not know, because he was distraught about the death of his cousin, Ryan Banjoman, who was killed in a motorcycle accident on the Dannehower Bridge in Norristown four days earlier.

    Julian Mansfield, who was operating the motorcycle, admitted causing her death; however, Chambers reportedly did not seek revenge against him. Prosecutors allege “bad blood” between Palmer and Charles Hernandez, a friend of Chambers’, was the motive for murder, according to court papers. Palmer reportedly had assaulted the friend.

    Two days after Banjoman’s death, Chambers is pictured in The Times Herald standing and hugging a woman in front of a makeshift shrine to his dead cousin. Protruding from his waistband is the butt of a handgun.

    Assistant District Attorneys Thomas McGoldrick and Abigail Silverman are prosecuting the case; Attorneys William R. McElroy and Paul A. Bauer III are defense counsel.

    The defendant, who lived in Lansdale at the time of the double homicide, is accused of shooting and killing Palmer, 31, and Scott, 22, minutes after the two left the Roo House Tavern around 2 a.m. that Saturday.

    Chambers allegedly walked over and shot the Wyndmoor woman twice in the head, then turned on the Norristown man and fired at him several times. In all, the gunman fired a dozen shots from a 9mm handgun.

    To shield himself from the gunfire, Palmer crawled under a Dodge Durango parked on the street, but he suffered bullet wounds in his cheek, neck, upper arm, thigh, leg and hip, according to authorities. The couple was transported to Hahnemann University Hospital for treatment, where they both later died.

    Surveillance camera video on Willow Street showed Chambers walk across the street to the sidewalk outside the tavern an hour before the murders. According to the criminal complaint, he met Anthony Lochetto and another man for a short time, then the three split up.

    Then just before the shooting, Chambers and Lochetto were seen standing near Palmer and Scott just before the shooting, prosecutors allege, and after the gunshots they ran from the scene.

    While Chambers was being held in Montgomery County Prison for an October 2009 shooting, he reportedly bragged about a double murder, according to an inmate. And the teenager allegedly told a friend he had “put that work in,” meaning he had killed the couple.

    http://timesherald.com/articles/2011...txt?viewmode=2

  5. #5
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    Man convicted of killing couple on Willow Street

    COURTHOUSE — A Lansdale man who shot and killed a couple outside a Norristown bar more than two years ago was found guilty Friday of the two murders.

    Khailyl Chambers, 20, who is currently serving time for a separate shooting, was convicted by Montgomery County Judge Thomas P. Rogers of two counts of first-degree murder for killing a 31-year-old Norristown man, Bruce Palmer, and a 22-year-old Wyncote woman, Jackie Scott, after they left Uptown’s Roo House Tavern on Willow Street June 27, 2009.

    The defendant was also convicted of a firearm offense and two counts of possessing an instrument of crime following the four-day nonjury trial.

    After the verdict was read about 11:45 a.m., Chambers’ defense attorney, William McElroy, asked Judge Rogers to sentence his client immediately so he could begin serving his time; however, the judge said he was not prepared to do that Friday.

    Outside the courtroom, Palmer and Scott’s family members were grateful for the conviction and hugged prosecutors Thomas McGoldrick and Abigail Silverman and lead detectives Richard Nilsen and James Carbo.

    Palmer’s mother, Lavern Hilton, was satisfied justice had been done in her son’s brutal death.

    “I’m very happy, very happy about the verdict,” she said. “Now I have some closure. My son can rest at peace.”

    Her son’s death has had devastating effect on the family that will last a lifetime.

    “My life has been turned upside down, inside out,” Hilton said. “It’s a pain I have to walk around with each and every day.”

    McGoldrick said the victims’ families had been waiting a long time for justice to be done. It has been two years and three months since the murders.

    “I think it’s a relief, it’s a sense of relief” McGoldrick said. “I think they finally felt like something happened in their favor for a change after two years of misery.”

    Palmer and Scott left the Willow Street bar after it closed at 2 a.m. that morning, and walked across the street to drive home. As they reached a Dodge Durango, Chambers appeared with a 9mm handgun and shot Scott twice in the head, then aimed the weapon at Palmer. As the victim attempted to take cover under the SUV, the killer crouched down and fired repeatedly at him.

    McGoldrick said witness cooperation was slow in coming, but perseverance by investigators paid off. As time went, witnesses revealed more and more about what they knew.

    “It’s persistence by our county detectives,” he said. “One of the bigger challenges is a lot of the witnesses were friends of the people involved.”

    Four months after the double homicide, Chambers shot a man in the back during a street fight near the corner of Willow and Basin streets. The bullet penetrated the victim’s torso, and barely missed his heart before exiting his chest. He survived and reluctantly testified against the shooter.

    Chambers was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault and is currently serving 10 to 20 years in prison for that crime. He was arrested for the homicides in May 2010.

    At his sentencing hearing in February, the defendant revealed that he earned a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) while serving time a Glen Mills juvenile facility in Delaware County in 2009, and learned to cook and took a carpentry course while in a court-ordered program in Jim Thorpe.

    In September, Chambers waived his right to a jury trial in exchange for the district attorneys office no longer seeking the death penalty in the murder case.

    A sentencing date for the homicides has not yet been scheduled.

    http://timesherald.com/articles/2011...mode=fullstory

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    Killer Khailyl Chambers sentenced to two life sentences for Norristown shooting

    A Lansdale man convicted of killing a couple outside a Norristown bar was given two life sentences in Montgomery County court Monday.

    Khailyl Chambers, 20, who was found guilty by Judge Thomas P. Rogers at a bench trial in October of first-degree murder for fatally shooting a 31-year-old Norristown man, Bruce Palmer, and his 22-year-old companion Jackie Scott, of Wyncote, after they left Uptown’s Roo House Tavern on June 27, 2009.

    The judge sentenced Chambers to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for the brutal slayings and an additional three-and-a-half to seven years for illegally possessing a handgun.
    As the defendant was being led from the courtroom by sheriff’s deputies, he shouted “Bet you’ll never see them again” to the victims’ family members present for the sentencing, followed by, “Rest in piss.”
    On the night of the murder, Palmer and Scott left the Willow Street bar after it closed at 2 a.m.and walked across the street to drive home. As they reached a Dodge Durango, Chambers appeared with a 9mm handgun and shot Scott twice in the head, then aimed the weapon at Palmer. As the victim attempted to take cover under the SUV, the killer crouched down and fired repeatedly at him.
    Deputy District Attorney Thomas McGoldrick and Assistant DA Abigail Silverman prosecuted the case. After the sentencing, McGoldrick said his goal as prosecutor was to get Chambers off the streets permanently.
    “It was a particularly savage and senseless double murder, and anyone capable of doing something like that has to be taken out of society forever,” he said.
    During the hearing, the victims’ families read impact statements. Brishonna Palmer, Palmer’s 17-year-old daughter, called her murdered father a “my superman,” and lamented that she will miss him when she graduates high school.
    Originally, the DA’s Office had pursued a capital case in the murders, but later agreed to withdraw the death penalty in exchange for the defendant being tried by a judge. McGoldrick said a bench trial is typically better for prosecutors than a jury trial.
    “It makes for a much more solid conviction,” he said. “The cases that get reversed (on appeal) generally have to do with errors in regards to how the juries handled (the case). It’s usually a jury instruction, like the judge leaves out a sentence in the jury instructions, and suddenly 20 years later, (the verdict) gets reversed.”

    http://www.timesherald.com/article/2...NION03&pager=2

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