By: Richard L. Smith
In a somber courtroom on Friday, a Burlington County judge sentenced Tamir Phillips, a 24-year-old man from Bensalem, Pa., to 30 years in state prison for the fatal shooting of a teenager at a Willingboro gas station during the summer of 2021.
Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said in a written statement that the sentence, delivered by the Hon. Terrence R. Cook, P.J.Cr., mandates that Phillips must serve the full 30 years before becoming eligible for parole.
According to Prosecutor Bradshaw, Phillips was convicted by a jury in November on charges of Murder (First Degree), Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Second Degree), and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Second Degree).
The heartbreaking incident began the afternoon of August 21, 2021, when Willingboro police officers responded to a report of a shooting at the Phillips 66 gas station on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Upon arrival, officers learned that the victim, 14-year-old Jesse Everett of Willingboro, had already been transported to Virtua Willingboro Hospital in a private vehicle.
Despite being airlifted to Cooper University Medical Center in Camden, Jesse was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m.
The tragic loss of a young life has left a lasting impact on the Willingboro community and the lengthy sentence handed down stressed the severity of the crime.