A Delco man was convicted of killing a teen while fleeing from police in 2020

A Chester man was convicted late Friday of third-degree murder for causing a crash that killed an 18-year-old woman as he fled from police.

Anthony Jones, 29, showed an “extreme indifference to human life” when he sped away from pursuing officers in Collingdale, according to Deputy District Attorney Laurie Moore. Moore told jurors in her closing argument Friday that Jones made a series of reckless and irresponsible decisions in July 2020, and was directly responsible for the death of Angel McIntyre.

He had taken a pill he bought from a drug dealer earlier that day, was smoking marijuana while driving, and had strapped his three children into a car that also contained a bag of illegal guns and ammunition, Moore said.

“Every single step, every single choice ... every single time, he‘s telling you he doesn’t care,” Moore said. “He has extreme indifference for human life and violated our social contract for using the road.”

It took jurors about six hours to convict Jones of McIntyre’s murder and homicide by vehicle while DUI. They also convicted Jones of aggravated assault for seriously wounding Matthew Munafo, who was driving the car in which McIntyre was riding, as well as endangering the welfare of children and drug and gun offenses.

Family members of Jones, who is Black, exploded in the courtroom after the verdict was read, calling the jurors racist and screaming that the crash was just an accident.

McIntyre and Munafo’s families hugged in silence, tearfully grateful for the outcome.

A spokesperson for the family said in a statement Friday night that they “commend the work of the jury, the prosecution, and the court.” The families have filed a federal lawsuit seeking damages from Collingdale Borough, and alleging that the officers’ pursuit of Jones was reckless and irresponsible.

On the night of the crash, the teens were on their way to Munafo’s house after spending the day with friends at Hog Island in South Philadelphia, according to attorneys for the victims.

“To the extent he’s sorry in this case, I suggest to you he’s sorry he’s facing the consequences,” Moore said of Jones. “There is no way, in his mind, that he is sorry for what he did.”

Jones’ attorney, Edward Jilozian, conceded that while his client was responsible for the crash — which he called a terrible accident — Jones’ behavior did not rise to the level of murder.

“These actions were not malicious,” Jilozian said. “They were that of someone who was evasive.”

Jones ran from the police, Jilozian said, because he feared for his life: The incident took place less than two months after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. That imagery, fresh in Jones’ mind, made him terrified of any interaction with police, the attorney said, because of his history of felony convictions.

Jilozian said Jones believed the officers would kill him if he stopped.

“In his mind, that was a rational reason, and remember the state of the nation at that point,” Jilozian said.

Despite not having a valid license, Jones was driving a Ford Escape through Delaware County on the night of the crash, prosecutors said. He took his three young children along for the ride, as well as their mother and another woman.

Around 1 a.m., officers in Collingdale spotted Jones driving erratically, and saw that one of the vehicle’s tail lights was out. When the officers signaled for Jones to stop, he pulled into a nearby McDonald’s on MacDade Boulevard, prosecutors said.

As a uniformed officer approached Jones’ vehicle, Jones sped away, striking another police vehicle that had pulled into the parking lot. Jones barreled down MacDade Boulevard, ignoring, Moore said, urges from his passengers to slow down or pull over.

Jones drove through six red lights over the course of nearly two miles as he tried to escape the pursuing officers. As he sped through the intersection of MacDade and West Oak Lane in Glenolden, he crashed into a Honda Civic driven by Munafo. Investigators testified that Jones had been travelling faster than 85 mph at the time.

The impact killed McIntyre and ejected Munafo 50 feet from the Civic, Moore said. The 23-year-old suffered severe injuries, including skull fractures and chest trauma, underwent multiple surgeries, and is still suffering from lingering cognitive issues.

Jones limped away from the scene, abandoning his children, one of whom has cerebral palsy, and ignoring the wreckage of the other vehicle, Moore said. He tried to flee on foot, but was taken into custody nearby by the officers pursuing him.

Inside the Escape, officers discovered three handguns, as well as marijuana, Moore said. Jones had taken a fourth gun with him from the vehicle, she said, but discarded it in a trash can as he tried to run away.