Atonement, forgiveness at sentencing for fatal shooting outside nonviolence concert

The usual sadness and loss permeated the Friday sentencing in a Philadelphia homicide courtroom.

But it was the unusual that impressed the judge and the lawyers for both the prosecution and defense: Someone who defied the "no-snitch culture" pervading many neighborhoods pleaded guilty, testified for the prosecution, and asked the victim's family to forgive him.

Eric Jamison got the forgiveness of Alexis Guevara's family.

"I speak on behalf of my mother, Eric," said Guevara's sister, Dolly, in a coda to her victim-impact statement. "She forgives you for cooperating, because you brought closure to us."

Then, Jamison, 27, of Strawberry Mansion, was sentenced to between seven and 14 years in prison — far less time than the decades he could have received for his role in a fight that ended in the fatal shooting of Alexis Guevara, 20, an aspiring pediatric nurse-practitioner, outside a 2014 nonviolence concert at the Dell Music Center.

"This family has been extremely gracious," Common Pleas Court Judge Steven R. Geroff told Jamison. "His mother and family have forgiven [you]. That put this case in a far different posture from most cases I see."

Jamison listened quietly as Dolly Guevara spoke and moments later took the witness stand, looked directly at Guevara and her mother, Erlanda Quinde, 42, thanked them, and said: "I apologize for everything that happened. I never wanted this to happen."

Jamison called his decision to plead guilty and cooperate "the biggest, toughest decision of my life. I'm going to continue to pray for you every day, and I'm sorry."

Guevara and her mother, who drove 14 hours from their Tennessee home to attend the sentencing, sat quietly weeping. Quinde, who said she remains devastated by the loss of her son, was too upset to speak in court.

In addition to the sentence of less than the eight to 40 years recommended by Assistant District Attorney Joseph Whitehead, Geroff agreed to recommend that Jamison serve his sentence in a prison outside the state system, to avoid threatened retaliation from associates of his co-defendant, William Greene, the convicted shooter.

Greene, 25, serving a mandatory sentence of life without parole in the state prison at Camp Hill, near Harrisburg, was found guilty April 24 of second-degree murder, robbery, and three gun charges in Alexis Guevara's slaying.

The incident at the Aug. 13, 2014, "Philly Support Philly Peace on the Streets" hip-hop concert began about 8:30 p.m. in the parking lot, where people who couldn't get inside were milling about.

Among them were Guevara and friend Marcell Lawrence, 22, who were talking to some women when Lawrence noticed a man sitting on the hood of Guevara's black Dodge Avenger, Lawrence testified.

Lawrence testified that he ordered the man, whom he identified as Jamison, off the car. Jamison protested Lawrence's tone and the two argued and prepared for a fistfight. That's what would have happened, Lawrence testified, until a man he identified as Greene walked up, pulled out a pistol and held it a foot from his head, and ordered him to turn over his valuables.

As Jamison moved to riffle his pockets, Lawrence said, Guevara punched Greene and knocked him backward, but Greene recovered and shot twice, mortally wounding Guevara as he ran. Lawrence died from a drug overdose two days after he testified, authorities said.

Whitehead and defense attorney Leon D. Goodman both praised Jamison's decision to plead guilty and cooperate.

"He got up and stood like a man and accepted responsibility," Goodman told the judge.