COURTHOUSE >> Two Norristown men will not face the death penalty if they’re convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the gunshot slaying of a 16-year-old boy in the borough, according to prosecutors.
Accused killers William Durell Wilson and Isaiah “Zay” Freeman each waived their formal arraignment hearings in Montgomery County Court and pleaded not guilty to charges of first- and third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault, persons not to possess firearms and possessing instruments of crime in connection with the 6:30 p.m. July 6 gunshot slaying of Jordan Scott at Chain Street and Blackberry Alley and the wounding of a second teenager who had been walking with Scott.
“The commonwealth is not seeking the death penalty in this case. The nature and circumstances of the case do not rise to the legal requirements for the commonwealth to seek the death penalty,” county Deputy District Attorney Samantha Cauffman explained on Friday.
State law provides only about a dozen specific aggravating factors that prosecutors can use to seek a death penalty. In order to seek the death penalty, prosecutors must show that aggravating factors, things that make a crime more heinous, existed at the time of a killing and that they outweigh any mitigating factors, those things in favor of a defendant.
As a result, Wilson and Freeman would face mandatory sentences of life imprisonment if convicted of first-degree murder, which is an intentional killing.
Third-degree murder is a killing committed with malice and carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison upon conviction.
Wilson, 30, of the first block of Zummo Way, and Freeman, 18, of the first block of East Spruce Street, were remanded to the county jail without bail pending their next court appearances. Judge Thomas C. Branca has scheduled a joint trial for the men for Feb. 5. The judge previously set aside Jan. 22 as the day to hear any pretrial motions that are filed in the case.
Wilson is represented by defense lawyer Matthew Quigg, and Freeman is represented by defense lawyer John McMahon Jr.
While prosecutors contend Freeman was the triggerman and Wilson was the person who supplied the murder weapon and was the getaway driver, previous testimony revealed that the two men fingered each other as the shooter when they gave statements to detectives.
Freeman claimed Wilson told him, “We have to get them boys” and wanted Freeman to be the one to shoot. However, Freeman told detectives he refused and that Wilson exited a gray Dodge Charger they were traveling in and shot Scott and the second teenager.
But in his statements to detectives Wilson “was adamant” that Freeman was responsible for the fatal shooting, detectives alleged in an arrest affidavit.
Testimony and court documents revealed that a third person who had been in the vehicle with Wilson and Freeman told detectives that Freeman was the shooter.
A motive for Scott’s killing has not been revealed by authorities.
Scott, of the 500 block of High Street in Norristown’s East End, was pronounced dead at 7:28 p.m. at a local hospital. An autopsy determined Scott died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds and two projectiles were removed from the teenager’s body, according to court documents.
A second juvenile male who had been walking with Scott on Chain Street approaching Blackberry Alley at the time of the shooting also suffered a gunshot wound to the right ankle and was treated for his wound at Paoli Hospital, court documents indicate.
Detectives relied on video surveillance in the area of the fatal shooting, cellphone analysis and eyewitness accounts to identify Freeman and Wilson as suspects.
The investigation determined Wilson was driving a gray 2013 Dodge Charger with Freeman in the front passenger seat when they saw the two victims walking in the vicinity of Oak and Chain Streets, according to detectives. Wilson drove to an alley between Chain and George streets and stopped the car, according to witness accounts contained in court documents.
Wilson allegedly provided a gun to Freeman.
Freeman, also known as “Young Bull Zay,” exited the vehicle, pulled the hood to his gray hooded sweatshirt over his head, walked up Blackberry Alley and peeked around the corner of a building, according to the arrest affidavit. When the two victims walked by Freeman allegedly opened fire, striking both Scott and the second juvenile.
Freeman then ran back to Wilson’s waiting vehicle and allegedly stated, “I got him, I got him, I hit him,” and “I shot him all in here” while pointing to his chest, according to witness accounts contained in the arrest affidavit.
Wilson allegedly drove Freeman away from the scene.
With the help of automatic license plate readers and other video surveillance, the Dodge Charger eventually was traced to Wilson, court documents indicate. Cellphone analysis also placed Wilson’s phone in the vicinity of the fatal shooting at the time it occurred, detectives alleged.
