PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Following a three-hour preliminary hearing, Municipal Court Judge David Shuter upheld murder charges against Quadir Dukes-Hill and Nahjee Whittington, unconvinced by defense attorney arguments that the June 4 shooting deaths of Alexis Quinn and Kristopher Minners were not first-degree murders.
In court, prosecutors played video from surveillance cameras and cell phones, showing swarms of people running down South Street, near Second and Third streets, after hearing gunshots up the street.
A homicide detective testified to the origin of the deadly chain of events: a fight between Gregory Jackson, Micah Townes and Rashaan Vereen in front of the Rita’s Water Ice at Third and South streets. Investigators say Vereen hit Townes and pulled his shirt over his head. Jackson pulled a gun, as did Townes — but Townes was able to shoot first, killing Jackson.
That gunfire sparked a sudden rush of people running west on South Street. Prosecutors say that is when Dukes-Hill and Whittington fired their weapons up the block, in the direction of the panicked crowd, allegedly killing Alexis Quinn and Kristopher Minners respectively.
“But for that beginning incident, maybe that other incident wouldn't happen,” said District Attorney Homicide Supervisor Joanne Pescatore. “Kristopher Minners, I believe, was out celebrating his birthday — and Alexis Quinn, a beautiful young woman in the prime of her life — just on South Street enjoying a night. It’s just sad, if you are a parent, watching that. It’s just awful.”
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Defense attorneys argue neither of those deaths was first-degree murder.
“First-degree murder is an intentional killing or lying in wait. This really isn’t,” said Earl Kaufmann who represents Whittington. “It was reckless, for sure, but at the same token, not first-degree.”
Kaufmann also argued against a charge of conspiracy. “I understand that [Whittington and Dukes-Hill] knew each other prior and during the day. They were together, and so forth like that, but like I said, even if they had pizza together at 11 o’clock at night, there was no conspiracy. They didn’t know what was going to happen.”
“This is third-degree murder, at best,” said Dukes-Hill’s attorney, Mary Maran. Dukes-Hill fired his gun in response to the initial shooting up the street.
“When my client fired, it is clear he was sort of firing in the midst of the chaos and confusion with no real target in mind. What I don’t want to see happen is the chaos in the streets bleed into the chaos of the courtroom, where the evidence, unless it’s organized by the Commonwealth and put forth fairly, is only going to go on to hurt more and more young men.”
Prosecutors called Delaware County juvenile probation officers who identified Dukes-Hill and Whittington from surveillance video.
In the video, two young men can be seen wearing similar-looking clothing. The officers said they are Whittington and Dukes-Hill. After they buy snacks at a mini-market, they step outside and hang out on South Street.
And then, a melee of people thronged the street.
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“It’s clear from the video, they are just wantonly shooting down the street, anybody could have been struck,” Pescatore said.
“The amount of shots fired, the positioning of the shots, the fact that these two individuals were firing in a crowded street, as you all saw in the video. There were hundreds of people on South Street that night. Of course, it’s going to be an uphill battle to get that charge, but at this level, we still believe it’s first-degree murder.”
Quinn’s mother Tina and sister Lisa Morton, as well as other family members, sat through the hearing, occasionally dabbing their tears.
“My pain is unbearable. It’s like, hits me in the chest sometimes, and I have to calm myself down because my chest will hurt,” said Tina.
“Lex was everything. Lex was our glue,” Morton said. “Lex was pure, she loved everybody.”
“She would make herself broke in order to help someone,” Tina added. “The guy that did that to my child should not see daybreak again.”
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A third man, Quran Garner, who was shot in the hand by police, was also held on aggravated assault and gun charges for his alleged role in the shooting in front of Rita’s.
Prosecutors conceded there was not enough to hold Garner on aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, so the judge dismissed the charges for lack of evidence. They say they recently spoke in-depth with officers on the scene and determined the police were not fired upon.
Townes has not been charged in the shooting, as prosecutors say he shot Jackson in self-defense. In a separate hearing, a judge ruled to keep Vereen’s case separate. He’s charged with attempted murder, conspiracy and gun-related charges and has his preliminary hearing scheduled for later this month.