Ex-girlfriend of Norristown robbery, murder victim admits helping to ‘set up’ the crime
NORRISTOWN — The ex-girlfriend of a man fatally shot in Norristown during an alleged robbery by four others admitted to a role in the deadly incident, specifically that she told one of the robbers that the victim had recently won $5,000 while gambling and provided information about his whereabouts on the night he was killed.
Katherine “Kay” Lynn Emel, 31, of the unit block of Richardson Street, Plymouth Township, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court on Friday to charges of third-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with the Jan. 20, 2024, fatal shooting of William Carter, her ex-boyfriend, in the unit block of West Wood Street in Norristown.
Essentially, Emel admitted that she told one of the robbers about Carter’s “daily agenda” and provided the location where Carter was going to be on the evening of Jan. 20. Emel admitted on Friday that she was upset because Carter, with whom she had recently broken up, stopped paying part of her rent in November 2023 even though he continued to live with her.
Third-degree murder is a killing committed with malice or cruelty, hardness of heart or recklessness of consequences and is punishable by a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.
By pleading guilty, Emel avoided the possibility of being convicted at a trial of a more serious second-degree murder charge, which carries a mandatory life prison sentence. Second-degree murder is a killing that occurs during the course of another felony such as robbery.
The open guilty plea means Emel has no deals with prosecutors regarding her potential sentence.
Judge William R. Carpenter will have sole discretion in determining Emel’s punishment.
Under questioning by defense lawyer John Francis McCaul, Emel admitted she has agreed to testify truthfully at the trial of three men accused of carrying out the deadly robbery when they head to trial on Sept. 3.
Additionally, Assistant District Attorney Meghan Bernadette Carney advised Emel in court that if she fails to cooperate and testify truthfully, then prosecutors could take her to trial on the original charge of second-degree murder.
Emel was charged with homicide along with four others under accomplice liability theories.
“She was essentially one of the individuals that helped set up this robbery,” Carney alleged.
“Under accomplice liability and conspiracy liability, even if she was not present at that robbery and subsequent murder, she put it into motion. She conspired and agreed that robbery would occur and she provided information to assist with that robbery and during the course of that robbery William was shot and killed. So even if she didn’t pull the trigger, she’s liable as an accomplice and a co-conspirator,” Carney added.
Four others are still awaiting trial in connection with the robbery and fatal shooting.
Damon Brantley Jr., 18, the alleged shooter, of the 1000 block of West Beech Street, Norristown, faces charges of first- and second-degree murder, robbery, conspiracy and multiple weapons offenses. Brantley was 17 at the time of the incident but turned 18 several days later.
Daquan Tyrone Allen, 29, the alleged getaway driver, of the 500 block of Norris Street, Norristown, and Jerry Lamar Butler, 29, of the 500 block of East Clarkson Avenue, Philadelphia, who is accused of participating in robbing Carter, are charged with second-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit murder.
Allen, Butler and Brantley, who face a joint jury trial Sept. 3, were extradited to Montgomery County from Endicott, N.Y., where they were apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service several days after the alleged incident.
A fourth male, Justin Lyaire Davis, 17, of the 300 block of East Brown Street, Norristown, previously was held for trial on homicide, robbery and conspiracy charges. Davis, who was 16 at the time of the incident but was charged as an adult because of the violent nature of the crime, is seeking to have his case transferred to juvenile court.
Davis is not accused of firing the shot that killed Carter but is accused of taking part with Brantley and Butler in the strong-arm robbery that ended in Carter being fatally shot.
The investigation began about 7:53 p.m. Jan. 20 when Norristown police responded to the report of shots fired at West Wood and Powell streets. Arriving officers found Carter, 35, dead on the sidewalk on the west side of West Wood Street, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective John Wittenberger and Norristown Detective Stephen Sowell.
Carter suffered a gunshot wound to the head and authorities determined the fatal shooting occurred at 7:49 p.m. Investigators determined Carter possessed only a set of keys but no money and no cellphone.
The investigation determined Carter, who was unarmed, had left a nearby residence to get some money out of a white Buick LeSabre.
Detectives said they obtained video surveillance footage that depicted Carter leave the Buick, and as he crossed the street, three males, Brantley, Butler and Davis, exited a gray Toyota RAV-4 and ambushed and robbed Carter.
Allen waited in the driver’s seat of the Toyota, according to court papers.
After the three suspects robbed Carter, one of the assailants, Brantley, pointed a firearm at Carter and fired three rounds from a distance of about three-feet, and one of the rounds struck Carter in the head, according to the criminal complaint.
“The succession of the three gunshots was so fast that detectives believed the firearm had an illegal ‘switch’ installed, enabling the firearm to operate in automatic fashion,” Wittenberger and Sowell alleged in court papers. “In addition, it is obvious this firearm is equipped with an extended magazine.”
Investigators found three 9mm fired cartridge casings at the scene.
After Brantley, Butler and Davis got into the RAV-4, Allen, the alleged driver, then fled the area, traveling west on West Wood Street.
Detectives used surveillance footage to develop photographs of the suspects which were released to the media and helped lead to the identification and apprehension of the suspects.
Detectives also obtained a photograph of Brantley attending a basketball game at Norristown High School between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 20 during which Brantley was wearing clothing that prosecutors alleged was consistent with the clothing the shooter was wearing later that night when Carter was fatally shot.
On Jan. 21, authorities discovered the RAV-4 getaway vehicle was set ablaze with an accelerant and destroyed by fire and authorities alleged Brantley is responsible for torching the vehicle. Photographs of Brantley, taken shortly after his arrest, depicted him to have burns on his face and ears and singed eyebrows.
Detectives subsequently determined the Buick vehicle that Carter was driving on the night he was killed belonged to Emel, who had placed a GPS tracking device in the vehicle’s trunk, according to the arrest affidavit.
An analysis of cellphone records, interviews of witnesses and through other investigative techniques detectives learned that Emel had communicated with Allen multiple times before Carter’s robbery and murder, telling Allen that Carter had recently won $5,000 gambling, according to court documents.
Following the alleged murder, video surveillance from a business on North Broad Street in Philadelphia, depicted Emel and Allen meeting between 9:31 and 9:48 p.m., where Allen gave $700 to Emel, according to the arrest affidavit.
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