Three men pleaded guilty in the shooting death of a teenager during a 2021 drug deal in Burlington Township

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BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ — Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that three men have pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old teenager during a drug transaction in a Walmart parking lot in October 2021.

Jayviohn Earley, 22, of Willingboro, accepted an 18-year prison sentence, while Tarik Jenkins, 28, of Pemberton Township, and Kayhree Simmons, 22, also of Willingboro, each accepted 15-year sentences as part of plea agreements. Prosecutor’s Office. The pleas were entered Oct. 29 in Superior Court in Mount Holly before Judge Mark P. Tarantino, who schedules sentencing for Jan. 6, 2025.

The defendants admitted that on October 7, 2021, they went to the Walmart on Burlington County Route 541 to conduct a drug transaction. During the encounter, gunshots rang out and 17-year-old Albert Williams of Hammonton was fatally shot. His father, Dion Williams, was also shot but survived the attack.

Charges remain pending against a fourth defendant, Kweli McCants, 23, of Willingboro, and a fifth man who pleaded guilty to obstructing the investigation into the shooting.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutors Katharine Dolin and Stephen W. Bondi. The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Burlington County Police Department, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the Willingboro County Police Department, the FBI’s Major 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 eligibility for parole under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act for violent crimes.