PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Two teenagers are now charged with the murder of 73-year-old James Lambert of North Philadelphia in the Brewerytown section of the city last month.
A boy and a girl, both 14, now face third-degree murder and criminal conspiracy charges for allegedly participating in the brutal attack that resulted in Lambert's death. KYW Newsradio is not naming either minor because of their age.
On Wednesday morning, the girl, who Philadelphia police had identified as a person of interest, turned herself in to the homicide unit. On Monday, the boy was taken into custody at a juvenile detention center, after he and his 10-year-old brother went to police headquarters to speak to investigators. The 10-year-old left with his mother, uncharged.
Detectives spoke to another 14-year-old girl on Wednesday, and she also walked out, uncharged.
Related
At about 2:30 a.m. on June 24, near the corner of 21st Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, a group of seven young people started hitting Lambert with street cones and other objects, police say.
The incident is captured on surveillance video, available on the Philadelphia Police Department YouTube channel. Investigators believe it started after a brief argument.
In the video, he was seen falling to the ground and hitting his head on the pavement.
Detectives say Lambert died shortly after the attack. The Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the cause of death to be blunt-force injuries to his head. Police say all the attackers were minors.
Officials credit the public with help on identifying each in the group. To date, two of the group of seven have been charged, and two have been released.