Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a Northampton County jury convicted an Easton man of first-degree murder and related crimes for killing 18-year-old Tyrell Holmes in 2018.
The jury returned its verdict on Thursday, following seven days of testimony regarding the death of Holmes, who was found near a dumpster outside an apartment complex. Investigators determined Holmes was stabbed and set on fire while still alive.
At the time of the killing, Alkiohn Dunkins, now 26, and the charged co-defendants, were members of a gang that referred to themselves as “Money Rules Everything.”
“This violent criminal organization has terrorized the people of the Lehigh Valley for far too long. This verdict takes one of their members off the street so he cannot victimize anyone else,” Attorney General Sunday said. “My heart goes out to the Holmes family for their loss and I pray that this verdict aids them in their healing process. I thank law enforcement and our team for their work to bring this individual to justice.”
In April 2018, police found the victim on fire with four stab wounds to the neck and torso. Investigators determined Holmes and Dunkins had lived together for a period of time, and Holmes had told others he feared Dunkins would kill him.
Phone records, surveillance video, and other evidence led to the arrests of Dunkins; Miles Harper, 26, of Allentown; Yzire Jenkins-Rowe, 27, of Collegeville; and Zahmire Welcome, 26, of Whitehall.
Harper has already pleaded guilty to aggravated arson and is awaiting sentencing. Cases against Jenkins-Rowe and Welcome are pending.
Dunkins will be sentenced on May 7.
This case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Christopher Phillips and Senior Deputy Attorney General Katherine McDermott.
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