Body of Victim Found in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
On the morning of June 14, 2016, police found the body of Toy Charda Bryant of Delaware County near the Mann Center in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. Bryant was found face down, handcuffed, stabbed and shot.
Within a week of the murder, 2 women were charged; Shintele Smith, a 29 year old Philadelphia woman and Shavon Armstrong, a 39 year old Wilkes-Barre woman. Armstrong turned herself in to the police the Saturday after the murder.
Both women were charged with Murder, Criminal Conspiracy, Kidnapping, Robbery, and related offenses. According to police, Bryant and the 2 women were friends. Apparently Bryant owed the 2 women $800 and could not pay.
Then on Friday, June 24, 2016, police made a third arrest and charged Keith Bullock, a 32 year old man from Chester, PA. He was charged with Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Kidnapping and Unlawful Restraint.
Punishments for Murder Charges and Conspiracy to Commit Murder
The two women in this case face serious punishments. If charged and convicted of first degree murder, they face a sentence of life in prison without parole or death. First Degree Murder in Pennsylvania is an intentional and premeditated killing of another person. The women may also be charged with third degree murder which is a killing that is not premeditated or without intention. If convicted, the women face a prison sentence of up to 40 years.
Related: Murder Charges in Pennsylvania – Murder Law in Pennsylvania
Though Bullock is not charged with murder, he is charged with Conspiracy to Commit Murder which occurs when two or more people with the intent to murder an individual plan and carry out the murder themselves or solicit someone else to commit the murder. Conspiracy to Commit Murder does not have its own punishment. If an individual is found guilty of a conspiracy to commit murder, he/she is also charged with the murder charge and faces the same punishment of the murder charge. In other words, the sentence is the same as the crime that was actually committed.
For instance, an individual plans a murder with another individual who shoots the victim. The shooter is charged with First Degree Murder. Though the non-shooter does not actually pull the trigger and shoot the victim, a conviction on the Conspiracy charge means that he would face the same punishment as though he had committed the murder.
Philadelphia Criminal Lawyer – Murder Charges in Pennsylvania
David Nenner is a Philadelphia criminal defense lawyer with decades of experience handling complex murder cases in the greater Philadelphia area including Montgomery, Delaware, Chester and Berks counties. He offers FREE CONSULTATIONS. (215) 564-0644
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