Guily verdict in fatal shooting

Downingtown man convicted by jury of third-degree murder of man from Chester

MEDIA COURTHOUSE » A Delaware County jury on Friday found Jamere Avona Walker of Downingtown guilty of third-degree murder in the shooting death of 32-year-old J. Charles Hopkins while simultaneously finding Walker not guilty of the most serious charge, first-degree murder.

Hopkins was gunned down Aug. 30, 2016, while driving along a mile-long stretch of Third Street in Chester’s West End. Two women on the defendant’s side left the courtroom in tears after the verdict was read. It came after two days of deliberations, ending the five-day trial.

Walker faces a maximum of 20 to 40 years on the murder conviction alone and sentencing is set for Friday, Feb. 16. He was also found guilty of possession of an instrument of crime and possession of firearm prohibited.

Assistant District Attorney Sean McNabb commented after the verdict.

“I’m certainly happy that they reached a verdict of guilty on one of the counts of murder,” he said. “I obviously thought the acts made out first-degree murder but I’m happy that the family of J. Charles Hopkins can get some sort of closure and some sense of justice out of the verdict.”

Defense attorney Eugene Tinari said he is planning on appealing, depending on what occurs at the sentencing.

“I’m relieved that given the very high degree of difficulty in defending this case that the jury did not find him guilty of first-degree murder,” Tinari said of his client. “While we certainly would have loved to have a verdict of not guilty on all the charges, we respect the jury’s decision. It was a very difficult case by all accounts for everyone.”

He outlined some of the challenges facing the defense.

“The fact that there was DNA evidence on the airbag in the car made it an inescapable conclusion that Mr. Walker was in the car but not the shooter and that was our contention,” Tinari said.

During the trial, a witness testified that he was standing with Walker outside Sporty’s West End Cocktail Lounge at Third and Hayes streets when Hopkins drove by in a red 2005 Volvo.

Walker allegedly said, “That’s that m--------- right there,” and jumped into a gold 2002 Dodge Intrepid, a vehicle the witness borrowed from another man. The witness said he often left the keys to the Dodge inside the vehicle.

He claimed Walker sped off after the Volvo and shots rang out moments later.

About a mile away, both vehicles were found crashed into the wall of Thomas M. Thomas Memorial Presbyterian Church around 2:30 a.m. A handgun was recovered from the Dodge and Hopkins was found barely alive inside the Volvo. He died later at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

A few days after the shooting, the witness said Walker told him the Volvo pulled up

next to him and the driver began shooting at him, so he fired back. Police said no gun was recovered from either the Volvo or the victim.

A 911 caller reported seeing a man in black clothing flee the accident and hopping like he had been shot. Surveillance videos showed a man in what appeared to be a black shirt and grey pants using a cell phone in that area. More video shows what appeared to be the same individual being picked up by a car in the area of 1500 W. Fourth St.

Footage from Walker’s girlfriend’s complex showed her leaving and speaking on her phone around 2:23 a.m.

and returning around 4:54 a.m. with Walker, according to court testimony.

During the trial, Chester Crime Scene Investigator Jeff Linowski testified that the Volvo had multiple bullet holes in the driver side and an outgoing bullet hole in the passenger-side door of the Intrepid but no soot or gunpowder.

He also found a 9 mm pistol and five spent shell casings inside the Intrepid as well as one in the gun and another on Third Street.

There was too complex a mixture of DNA profiles on the gun to positively identify anyone, according to state police DNA expert

Jared Hiester. However, Hiester said blood found on an airbag, inside the passenger door and on the rear bumper of the Dodge was positively matched to Walker.

The sole defense witness and owner of the Intrepid said he spoke with police Sept. 15 and said the man who borrowed his car called him around 3:30 a.m. the night of shooting.

“He said a car rode up on them, they started shooting and they shot back,” he said.

The Dodge owner then said the witness contacted him a few days later and changed his story to indicate he was not in the car at the time.

Jamere Avona Walker