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BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP, New Jersey – Three men pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy during a drug transaction in a Walmart parking lot in October 2021, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced .

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

The defendants admitted that they went to the Walmart on Route 541 in Burlington Township on October 7, 2021 for a drug transaction. During the encounter, gunfire erupted and Albert Williams, 17, of Hammonton, was fatally shot. His father, Dion Williams, was also hit by gunfire but survived the attack.

Charges are still pending against a fourth defendant, Kweli McCants, 23, of Willingboro, as well as a fifth individual who pleaded guilty to hindering the investigation into the shooting.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Katharine Dolin and Stephen W. Bondi. The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Burlington Township Police Department, Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, Willingboro Township Police Department, FBI Safe Streets Task Force in Trenton and SWAT and police units from surrounding areas.

All three defendants are expected to serve their sentences without eligibility for parole for a substantial portion, as required by New Jersey’s Early Release Prohibition Law for violent crimes.