A Norristown teen admitted his role in the fatal robbery of a man targeted for his sports betting wins

A Norristown teenager admitted his role Tuesday in the fatal robbery of a man targeted for money he had recently won gambling and agreed to testify against his alleged coconspirators at their trial next month.

Justin Davis, 17, entered into the negotiation during a hearing before Montgomery County Court Judge William Carpenter. In exchange for Davis’ testimony, prosecutors agreed to allow Davis to be adjudicated for third-degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery as a juvenile, as well as robbery as an adult, after the trial concludes.

That split plea will allow Davis — who was initially charged as an adult with murder in the January killing of William Carter — to serve a four-year sentence in juvenile prison. For the robbery charge, Davis will be sentenced to five years of probation after his release.

Davis testified Tuesday that he was one of three people who attacked Carter, 35, on Jan. 20 as he exited a home on Powell Street in Norristown. Prosecutors said Davis exited a Toyota RAV-4 that had been parked near the home with Jerry Butler, 29, and Damon Brantley Jr., 18.

Daquan Allen, 29, the alleged mastermind of the robbery, who had previously sold cocaine to Carter, remained in the SUV as its getaway driver, prosecutors said.

Davis, Brantley, and Butler approached Carter as he walked back toward the home after retrieving something from a Buick LeSabre, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed for their arrests. The men pinned Carter to a wall and rummaged through his pockets before Brantley shot Carter three times with a stolen 9mm handgun, the affidavit said.

One of the bullets struck Carter in the head, killing him instantly, the affidavit said.

The group fled in the RAV-4, which had been reported stolen in December 2023. Detectives later found the vehicle on fire — Brantley, prosecutors said, had covered the car’s interior with gasoline and set it ablaze.

Investigators later learned that Carter’s girlfriend, Katherine Emel, owned the Buick LeSabre he was seen reaching into shortly before his murder.

Emel, 31, later admitted that she had placed an Apple AirTag inside the vehicle’s trunk to track its movements, and had been providing Allen with Carter’s “daily agenda” for several days. She did so, she said, because Carter had recently won $3,000 gambling on sports, and he had not given her any of the money.

In June, Emel pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, robbery, and conspiracy. Like Davis, she has agreed to testify at the trial for Allen, Butler, and Brantley.

Emel will be sentenced after the trial, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 3.