A New Castle, Delaware man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for the murder of 22-year-old Jabree West. The defendant, Eric Williams, 24, was found guilty of Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree after a four-week trial in June.
The incident took place on June 20th, 2021, at approximately 4:30 a.m. Eric Williams, driven by a personal conflict with the victim, used a 9mm semi-automatic pistol to fatally shoot Jabree West in the back of the head. The victim was found on the stoop of a residential building on Bronx River Road in Yonkers. Despite being rushed to New York-Presbyterian Westchester hospital in Bronxville, he succumbed to his injuries.
The trial presented surveillance footage capturing Williams pacing near the scene of the crime, visibly preparing his weapon moments before the fatal shot was fired. The investigation also uncovered the victim’s cell phone, containing incriminating videos and photos of the defendant and the victim together during their trip to New York from Delaware.
Eric Williams was apprehended as he was leaving his father’s home in Staten Island on December 19th, 2021. At the time of his arrest, he made several admissions related to the murder, although the murder weapon itself remains unrecovered.
The case was presided over by Judge Robert Neary in Westchester County Court, and prosecution was carried out by Major Case Bureau Chief Nadine Nagler and Senior Assistant District Attorney Adrian Murphy, both from the Trials and Investigations Division.
District Attorney Mimi Rocah commended the efforts of law enforcement, including the Yonkers Police Department, the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, the New York City Police Department, the DA’s Office High Technology Crimes Unit, and the New Castle County Police Department in Delaware for their invaluable assistance throughout the investigation. DA Rocah concluded by stating, “Due to the tireless efforts of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, justice has been served for this ruthless and cold-blooded murder.”
