Man convicted in 2021 murder of Temple University student Samuel Collington

A Philadelphia man was convicted Tuesday in the 2021 murder of 21-year-old Temple University student Samuel Collington.

Latif Williams, 19, of Olney, was found guilty after a one-day bench trial of third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and illegal possession of a firearm.

A native of Prospect Park, Delaware County, Collington was a senior at Temple studying political science at the time of his murder. He was shot outside his apartment on the 2200 block of North Park Avenue near Dauphin Street on Nov. 28, 2021, in what police said appeared to be a robbery and carjacking.

Collington was expected to graduate in spring 2022 from Temple’s College of Liberal Arts. At the time of his death, he had recently received a high score on the LSAT, planned to attend law school in the fall, and worked as a democracy fellow in the Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners.

“The District Attorney’s Office is grateful for the conviction of Latif Williams for this outrageous crime, which not only deeply impacted Mr. Collington’s family and loved ones but affected the entire Temple University community,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said. “I again extend my deepest condolences for the terrible loss of a promising young man.”

Williams is scheduled to be sentenced in May, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said. Tom Kline, the attorney for Collington’s family, said that Collington’s parents, family, and friends will “continue to seek justice for Sam and will be a watchful presence at his upcoming sentencing hearing.”

Efforts to reach Collington’s parents were unsuccessful Tuesday.

Collington’s cousin Theresa Collington said the family looked forward to the sentencing and fighting for justice for Collington.

“We will continue to anticipate justice for Sam and we’re glad that the first part is behind us,” she said. “We look forward to the sentencing.”

Patrick Link, Williams’ attorney, said Tuesday that the third-degree murder conviction for his client was the “appropriate verdict,” as Williams was initially charged with first- and second-degree murder, which would have brought harsher sentences. A first-degree murder conviction calls for a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Williams, his lawyer said, “has felt remorse from the very beginning.”

On the day he was killed, Collington had briefly returned to his apartment, located just blocks from Temple’s main campus, after having spent Thanksgiving with his family. He had arrived at the apartment around 1:30 p.m. with a basket of laundry his mother had washed, parking his father’s SUV near his apartment with the intent of returning to his parents’ home to watch television with his family, The Inquirer previously reported. But he never returned.

Collington had just stepped out of the SUV when Williams approached and shot him twice in the chest, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Scott O’Keefe found Tuesday. Collington was rushed to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Investigators used video and forensic evidence from the scene to link Williams to the killing, and he surrendered to police days after the incident. At the time, Williams was under investigation for connections to several armed robberies in the area, including an August 2021 carjacking of an elderly man.

Williams will be tried for that carjacking on the same day he is sentenced for Collington’s murder in May, the district attorney’s office said.

Following Collington’s death, friends, family, and professors remembered him as a “phenomenal student,” passionate advocate, and caring a funny person who would do anything for his friends.

In February 2022, Temple officials presented Collington’s family with his diploma at their home in Prospect Park. Using an outpouring of donations from people who knew him, the family established an Interboro Education Foundation scholarship in Collington’s memory. Temple also created the Sam Collington Internship Fund supporting students who pursue public service.

“I know every mother would say the same thing — that my son was special, but he really was a gift for all of us,” Collington’s mother, Molly, previously told The Inquirer. “He was charismatic, outgoing, just full of life. It’s just a tragedy for everyone.”

Staff writer Rodrigo Torrejón contributed to this article.