Background: News footage of Jermaine Williams in court for his arraignment in June 2024 (WHAM). Insets (left to right): Timothy Chealey and Shatina Jones (Facebook).
A New York man has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the chilling murder of two individuals on a front porch. Jermaine Williams, 25, was convicted last month for the tragic deaths of Shatina Jones, 46, and Timothy Chealey, 43, in Rochester, New York.
The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that Williams was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder, nearly two years after the fatal event. On May 6, 2024, following a concert, Williams shot Jones and Chealey outside a home, marking a grim end to what should have been a celebratory evening.
Events leading up to the shooting unfolded after Williams engaged in a confrontation with an unidentified individual at the concert. He subsequently followed them to the residence where Jones and Chealey were located, and in a reckless act of violence, opened fire, resulting in the deaths of the two friends. A third victim was also shot but survived the attack.
Local news outlet, WHAM, reported on the aftermath of the tragedy, speaking with Jones’ family. They recounted how Jones, a Buffalo resident, had traveled to Rochester to visit her daughter for a birthday celebration, attending a Sexyy Red concert at the Blue Cross Arena earlier that evening.
Jones’ sister, Andrea Tripp, provided insight into the family ties, explaining, “Our families, we grew up together, so it was just my sister staying one night. She just stayed one night at her best friend’s house.” Tragically, it was while Jones stepped out for a cigarette on the porch that Williams unleashed his fatal gunfire.
On the night she was killed, Jones had stepped out of the house to smoke a cigarette on the front porch when Williams started firing.
The nature of Jones’s relationship with Chealey remained unclear.
After the shooting, Williams fled but was apprehended in a neighboring county by the U.S. Marshals.
Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Adam VanHeyst said in a press release following Williams’ conviction, “What should have remained a minor dispute at a concert turned into a calculated and cowardly act of retaliation.” He added, “Jermaine Williams made a conscious decision to arm himself and open fire on a porch full of individuals — killing Timothy Chealey and Shatina Jones, one of whom had nothing to do with the earlier altercation.”
