PHILADELPHIA (December 9, 2024) — District Attorney Larry Krasner and members of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Homicide and Non-Fatal Shootings Unit announced on Monday that Rodrick Williams (DOB 10/9/1999) was found guilty by a Philadelphia jury of First-Degree Murder and related firearm charges for fatally shooting 21-year-old Michael Mines in April 2021 near the city’s Cobbs Creek section.
On the evening of April 6, 2021, Rodrick Williams–whom investigators have linked to a violent street group–shot Mines multiple times in the head while the victim was in a vehicle on the 600 block of S. 55th Street. First responders pronounced Mines at the scene. Following the shooting, investigators were soon able to link Williams to the killing based on posts to his Instagram account depicting him holding the .22 caliber weapon used during the crime and to the fired cartridge casings found at the scene. After obtaining the defendant’s cell phone, a Gun Violence Task Force analyst recovered additional evidence linking Williams to the murder. Philadelphia Police also utilized cell site location data to place the defendant in the vicinity at the time of the shooting.
Investigators believe Williams’ motive for killing Mines was retaliation for the fatal shooting of the defendant’s brother, even though law enforcement could find no evidence that Mines–who had no ties to any street groups–was involved in the sibling’s murder. Williams is also awaiting trial for an additional homicide and three non-fatal shootings. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for this murder on December 5, 2024, by the Hon. Glenn Bronson.
“Thanks to Assistant District Attorneys Marianne Aguilar and Jeffrey Palmer of the Gun Violence Task Force for successfully prosecuting this tragic case,” said DA Krasner. “Williams poses a clear danger to public safety, and thanks to cooperation between the Philadelphia Police Department and the GVTF, he will be held accountable for cutting short a young man’s life. I also hope that this conviction assures families who are grieving during the holiday season and who are waiting for justice for their loved ones that this office, in partnership with our law enforcement partners, is doing everything we can to hold those who commit these violent crimes accountable.”
“I want to thank Philadelphia Police Detectives David Gannone, Jim Brady, and Greg Jara for their roles in this investigation. I also want to thank GVTF Analyst Amanda McCourtie for her excellent cell phone extraction work,” said Assistant District Attorney Marianne Aguilar. “This was truly the epitome of teamwork that brought this case home, and thanks to that collaboration, we have been able to secure a modicum of closure for Mines’ family and friends.”
CONTACT:
Dustin Slaughter, [email protected]
The material below is provided by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office for use by members of the news media.
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