A group of teens who fatally beat a 73-year-old man with a traffic cone in 2022 have been “set free” with a slap on the wrist by a judge.
Per Philly Crime Update on X:
“Last month, Judge Barbara McDermott tossed the charges against the now 16 yr old boy,” the account explained.
“The teen girl, was sentenced to 5 years, with time served and released to house arrest.”
Two teens who were seen on video murdering an elderly Philadelphia man with a traffic cone have been set free
— PhillyCrimeUpdate (@PhillyCrimeUpd) March 27, 2024
Last month, Judge Barbara McDermott tossed the charges against the now 16 yr old boy.
The teen girl, was sentenced to 5 years, with time served and released to house… https://t.co/DcClnYOilN
James Lambert Jr.’s niece called the outcome of the case a “slap on the wrist.”
She also stated Lambert was “a gem” in the city of Philadelphia.
Social media was set alight following the outcomes of the case.
“Why don’t criminals suffer any consequences for their actions?” asked one.
“If those kids were white they wouldn’t see the light of day until their 40th birthday,” said another.
The teen boy remained in the adult court system, while the girl’s case was moved to the juvenile court system.
Lambert’s niece, Tania Stephens, said:
“I am not pleased with the decision the courts made, and my family is not pleased as well.”
“They put out a light,” she later added.
Pennsylvania law bars a juvenile’s record from public disclosure; however, Stephens asserts that the girl admitted guilt to certain charges.
Stephens said the girl took responsibility by delivering a statement, expressing remorse, and apologizing for her involvement in the murder.
“At least she made an attempt to apologize for her actions and, yes, she was a child, and maybe, yes, part of her had not developed and she was not aware that her actions took the life of my uncle,” Stephens said.
The District Attorney’s office has appealed to the higher court regarding the boy’s case, seeking to reinstate charges.
“He was the one who took the first cone and he threw the first blow, nonetheless, even though my uncle started to run,” Stephens shared.
The family of a 73-year-old beaten to death in Brewerytown with traffic cones nearly two years ago says they are frustrated with the justice system, as one of the accused walks free and the other, they say, didn’t get much time in her juvenile sentence. https://t.co/57w4Reiue5
— KYW Newsradio – NOW ON 103.9 FM! (@KYWNewsradio) March 27, 2024
The incident was first reported by The Daily Mail in 2022:
The horrific scene, caught on surveillance cameras, opens with seven teens chasing after James Lambert Jr. on June 24, in the middle of Cecil B. Moore Avenue, with one of them swinging a cone at the back of his head.
The 73-year-old topples over on the sidewalk, and as the teens surround him, a girl picks up the cone again and hurls it at him.
Lambert can be seen getting up and trying to get away as the teens chase him off-camera, with the girl grabbing the cone again and appearing to bash him with it before they disappear off-screen.
Police said Lambert suffered several injuries to the head and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
