EQUAL VERDICTS-THE LEX STREET MURDERS-Antonne M Jones

On December 28, 2000, the city of Philadelphia experienced the worst mass murder in its three hundred year history. Ten people were viciously gunned down in a dilapidated crack house in the Mill Creek section of West Philly. The community was scared and outraged. City officials demanded a swift resolution. Within days and under an avalanche of pressure, the police obtained a confession and the case was cracked. Four local young men were arrested and charged with seven counts of first degree murder, attempted murder, robbery, and related offenses. The District Attorney Office vowed to seek the death penalty for what appeared to be an open and shut case. After fifteen months of preparation, when the trial was less than three months away, the case took a major turn in an adverse direction. The whole world was watching and awaiting the prosecution team s next move. Equal Verdicts chronicles the investigation of the grisly slaying from the night of the murders until the conclusion of the case. The author interviewed suspects, lawyers, judges and reporters to get a first hand account of what really occurred during the proceedings. Exclusive police interrogations of the murderers, jailhouse snitches, and correction guards are recorded which adds mystery to the already petrifying saga. Ultimately, more shocking than the murders was the motive. "Most of my life I felt violated. Everything I loved was taken away from me. My mom, grandmother, father. My mother's boyfriend got killed right in front of me so I did the same thing. I never did anything to anyone who didn't deserve it. Besides, most of the people in that house were just junkies and drug dealers anyway." -Shihean Black Convicted Killer. EQUAL VERDICTS-THE LEX STREET MURDERS-Antonne M. Jones