Oxford Circle teen guilty in elderly man's murder

In a verdict that left two families bereft, a Philadelphia jury yesterday found an Oxford Circle teenager guilty of third-degree murder for jumping an elderly man who was taking his daily post-dinner walk.

The Common Pleas Court jury deliberated just three hours before returning the verdict against Marcquis Walker-Williams in the July 10, 2007, attack on 69-year-old Kwok Wai-Ho.

The verdict was announced to a courtroom filled with the families of murderer and victim, many of them weeping quietly.

Judge Shelley Robins New set sentencing for Oct. 16. Assistant District Attorney Leon Goodman said Walker-Williams faced a sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison. Defense attorney James F. Egan, who argued for a guilty verdict to involuntary manslaughter, said he would consider an appeal.

Walker-Williams' family declined to comment, but Egan added, "It's a sad day no matter what. It's a tragedy, and my heart goes out to both families." Walker-Williams, 19, testified in his own defense earlier yesterday, calling his actions dumb, but saying he never intended to rob or kill Ho.

According to trial testimony, Walker-Williams was among a group of teens walking on Greeby Street near Loretto Avenue when he spotted Ho. As the group passed Ho, Walker-Williams suggested to his friends that they "catch a body" - jump someone, throw a punch, and run.

Walker-Williams said he ran up behind Ho, wrapped his arm around Ho's shoulders below his neck, and pulled him back so Ho "couldn't hit me."

At that point, two neighbors began yelling at Walker-Williams to stop, and he released his hold and ran. Ho hit the concrete, struck his head on a curb, and sustained a mortal injury. Ho died a week later after his family decided to take him off life support.

After the verdict, Ho's son-in-law, Derek Luk, said the family was pleased the judicial system worked, "but we are not happy about the verdict."

"This is another human being we are talking about here," he added.

Luk, who is married to Ho's daughter, Carrie, 37, and Ho's son, Tom, 35, both described Ho as the keystone of their extended families. "Mr. Walker-Williams does not know who he has taken away from us," Luk said.

Ho said his father immigrated to Philadelphia from China in 1981. Initially, he resumed his trade as a tailor, but then started his own food truck, a business he ran until he retired five years ago. "He really loved his retirement," added Luk, saying that Ho often took his 95-year-old mother along on his walks.

"It's sad how it has affected two families like this - there's no other way to put it," Luk said. "This kind of senseless violence has to stop. Hopefully, others will see this as an example and stay away from it."

During his time on the witness stand yesterday, Walker-Williams told his attorney he could not explain what happened July 10, 2007. "I couldn't really answer," Walker-Williams said. "I don't know. I don't know why I did it. It was dumb."

Walker-Williams said he was sorry and said he cried when he learned Ho had died. But his voice was flat in court except when he began orally sparring with Goodman during cross-examination.

Asked by Goodman about discrepancies between his testimony and other witnesses', Walker-Williams said the others were either wrong or lying.

He maintained that he "released" Ho and did not push him to the ground, despite autopsy results concluding the older man had to be pushed to sustain his head injuries. "He wasn't there," Walker-Williams said of the city medical examiner who performed the autopsy.

Walker-Williams said his friends lied when they testified that they told him to leave the older man alone: "No one told me to stop, and I don't think I would have stopped if they did."

And he discounted Goodman's comparison of Ho's and Walker-Williams' physical abilities. Walker-Williams said Ho looked to be in his 50s and was in good shape: "He looked fine."

"You didn't consider him elderly?" asked Goodman.

"Older," replied Walker-Williams.