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BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ – Three men have pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old during a drug transaction in a Walmart parking lot in October 2021, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced.
Jayviyohn Earley, 22, of Willingboro, agreed to an 18-year prison sentence, while Tarik Jenkins, 28, of Pemberton Township, and Kayhree Simmons, 22, also of Willingboro, each accepted a 15-year prison sentence as part of plea agreements with the Public Prosecution Service. The pleas were entered on October 29 in Superior Court in Mount Holly before Judge Mark P. Tarantino, who scheduled sentencing for January 6, 2025.
The defendants admitted that on October 7, 2021, they went to the Walmart on Route 541 in Burlington Township for a drug transaction. During the encounter, gunfire erupted and 17-year-old Albert Williams of Hammonton was fatally shot. His father, Dion Williams, was also hit by gunfire but survived the attack.
Charges remain pending against a fourth defendant, Kweli McCants, 23, of Willingboro, as well as a fifth person who has pleaded guilty to obstructing the investigation into the shooting.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katharine Dolin and Stephen W. Bondi. The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Burlington Township Police Department, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the Willingboro Township Police Department, the FBI’s Greater Safe Streets Task Force in Trenton, and SWAT and police units from surrounding areas.
The three defendants are expected to serve a significant portion of their sentences without being eligible for parole, as required by New Jersey’s No Early Release Act for violent crimes.