Two men receive life sentences for roles in robbery, gunshot slaying of Norristown man

NORRISTOWN — Two men convicted of taking part in a robbery that ended with the fatal shooting of a Norristown man showed no emotion as the victim’s grieving relatives and friends confronted them in court at their sentencing hearings on homicide charges.

“This is what he leaves behind, a daughter who cries for him every day,” Tiara James, the mother of William Carter’s daughter, said in a Montgomery County courtroom on Thursday as she held Carter’s little girl in her arms.

Daquan Allen, 30, of the 500 block of Norris Street, Norristown, and Jerry Butler, 29, of the 500 block of East Clarkson Avenue, Philadelphia, appeared unmoved by James’ grief and they did not address the courtroom before being sentenced to life imprisonment for the second-degree murder convictions handed down by a jury earlier this week in connection with Carter’s death.

“You will undergo life imprisonment for the rest of your natural life,” Judge William R. Carpenter addressed each man as he imposed the sentences.

One woman who supported the defendants verbally lashed out at James with a derogatory comment and sheriff’s deputies immediately removed her from the courtroom, which was packed by relatives and friends of both the victim and the defendants.

Carter’s relatives and friends, some wearing T-shirts embossed with Carter’s photograph and the words “GONE TOO SOON, LONG LIVE WILLIAM CARTER,” described Carter as a loving father and uncle who was “a beacon of kindness,” a man who brought joy to everyone he encountered.

On Monday, a jury convicted Allen and Butler of charges of second-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with the 7:49 p.m. Jan. 20, 2024, robbery and fatal shooting of Carter in the unit block of West Wood Street in Norristown. Carter, 35, of Norristown, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

Second-degree murder, a killing committed during the course of another felony such as robbery, carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.

Prosecutors Meghan Carney and Anne O’Connell argued Butler participated in the robbery of Carter and Allen helped plan the robbery and was the getaway driver during the crime.

A third man, Damon Brantley Jr., 18, who was the triggerman, of the 1000 block of West Beech Street, Norristown, was convicted by the jury of charges of first-degree murder, robbery, conspiracy and weapons offenses in connection with the crime.

Brantley was 17 at the time of the robbery and killing but turned 18 seven days later and was charged as an adult.

Because Brantley was 17 at the time of the fatal shooting he potentially faces a maximum sentence of 35 years to life in prison for the conviction of first-degree murder, which is an intentional killing, when he is formally sentenced later this year.

During the trial, Carney and O’Connell argued the trio had a plan to rob Carter and each played a role in the crime, adding the men ambushed Carter and left him to die on the cold sidewalk. Carney and O’Connell argued Allen was “the brains” behind the plan and the getaway driver, that Butler was “the muscle” during the robbery and that Brantley “brought the gun.”

The men were charged under accomplice liability theories.

“This was someone that was a light in this family and they’re never going to see him or experience him again,” Carney said on Thursday, referring to the loss suffered by the Carter family. “They’ve taken a life that is irreplaceable. A life sentence should reflect what they took, a life. A life sentence, not only is it mandatory, but it’s appropriate in this scenario.”

Carney said she was not surprised by the defendants’ lack of remorse.

“This was a callous crime and a thoughtless and senseless crime and they’re not giving much thought or care to the victim’s family or their emotions. We weren’t surprised by that at all,” Carney added.

During the hearing, prosecutors informed the judge about the lengthy criminal histories of both Allen and Butler, dating back to when they were juveniles.

“Their records made clear they’ve been doing this since they were juveniles and it’s escalated now to the ultimate crime. Now, it’s resulted in the loss of someone that his family will never get back,” O’Connell said.

During the sentencing hearing, defense lawyer Nicholas Reifsnyder, who represents Allen, and defense lawyer Brooks Thompson, who represents Butler, placed on the record that a state appellate court is currently weighing an appeal in another case that addresses whether a life sentence for someone who is not the killer in a second-degree murder case “is cruel and unusual punishment.”

“Pennsylvania is one of only two states that still use life without parole for second-degree murder for non-killers. Every indication appears to be that they are going to reverse Pennsylvania’s practices on that and we wanted to make sure that we were preserving the issue so that we can then appeal it later,” Reifsnyder said after the hearing.

During the trial, defense lawyers for Brantley, Butler and Allen suggested the prosecution’s case was based on lies and “unreliable” information from two others who were charged in connection with the crime and who supported the prosecution’s theory of the case just to save their own skins. Defense lawyers said the testimony of those witnesses, Justin Lyaire Davis and Katherine “Kay” Emel, should not be trusted.

Davis, 17, of Norristown, a prosecution star witness who previously admitted to participating in the robbery and placed Brantley, Allen and Butler at the scene and identified Brantley as the triggerman, faces a sentencing hearing later this year.

Davis, who was 16 at the time of the incident but has since turned 17, has a limited deal with prosecutors that will allow him to avoid time in an adult prison.

Emel, 31, who was Carter’s ex-girlfriend, of the unit block of Richardson Street, Plymouth Township, pleaded guilty in June to charges of third-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with Carter’s death and is awaiting sentencing.

Emel testified during the trial that she was upset because she believed Carter, with whom she had broken up, stopped paying part of her rent in November 2023 even though he continued to live with her. Emel testified she confided in Allen, from whom she regularly purchased ecstasy, about her financial predicament and informed Allen that Carter had recently won several thousand dollars while gambling.

Emel testified that when Allen suggested he could rob Carter, she didn’t object to the plan and even provided Allen information about Carter’s whereabouts on the night he was killed.

The investigation began about 7:53 p.m. Jan. 20 when Norristown police responded to a report of shots fired at West Wood and Powell streets. Arriving officers found Carter dead on the sidewalk on the west side of West Wood Street, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective John Wittenberger and Norristown Detective Stephen Sowell.

Investigators determined Carter possessed only a set of keys but no money and no cellphone.

The investigation determined Carter, who was unarmed, had left a nearby residence where he had been visiting his daughter to get some money out of a white Buick LeSabre.

Detectives obtained video surveillance footage that depicted Carter leave the Buick, and as he crossed the street, three males, Brantley, Butler and Davis, exited a gray Toyota RAV-4 and robbed Carter.

The fourth male, Allen, remained in the driver’s seat of the Toyota.

After the three suspects robbed Carter, one of the assailants, Brantley, pointed a firearm at Carter and fired three rounds from a distance of about three-feet, and one of the rounds struck Carter in the head, according to testimony.

“The succession of the three gunshots was so fast that detectives believed the firearm had an illegal ‘switch’ installed, enabling the firearm to operate in automatic fashion,” Wittenberger and Sowell alleged. “In addition, it is obvious this firearm is equipped with an extended magazine.”

Investigators found three 9mm fired cartridge casings at the scene.

After Brantley, Butler and Davis got into the RAV-4 operated by Allen, the men then fled the area, traveling west on West Wood Street.

Detectives used surveillance footage to develop photographs of the suspects which were released to the media and helped lead to the identification and apprehension of the suspects.

Allen, Butler and Brantley were extradited to Montgomery County from Endicott, N.Y., where they were apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service several days after the incident.