HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that 27-year-old Zahmire Welcome has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 20 to 40 years incarceration, for the killing of 18-year-old Tyrell Holmes in 2018.
Welcome, of Whitehall, was convicted in October by a Northampton County jury of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and kidnapping. As part of the sentence, he was ordered to pay $ in restitution to Holmes’ grandmother for funeral costs.
Welcome is one of four “Money Rules Everything” gang members now convicted of the killing.
“Today’s life sentence marks the final step in holding all four defendants responsible for their cruel and callous actions,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Unfortunately, the Holmes family will have to live with their loss every day, but I hope they find some comfort in knowing that everyone responsible faced the consequences for what they did.”
Tyrell’s grandmother wrote a statement, which was read in court by a relative during Welcome’s sentencing.
“The young men who took (Tyrell’s) life will never truly understand the devastation they caused to me and to everyone who loved Tyrell. Their actions showed a complete lack of compassion and respect for human life. What was done to my grandson was pure evil.”
In April 2018, Holmes was stabbed and lit him on fire in front of an apartment complex in Bethlehem.
Charged were: Welcome; Alkiohn Dunkins, 27, of Easton; Yzire Jenkins-Rowe, 28, of Collegeville; and Miles Harper, 27, of Allentown.
Dunkins was previously found guilty by a Northampton County jury of first-degree murder and related crimes. He has been sentenced to a lifetime in prison, plus 23 to 50 years. Jenkins-Rowe previously pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, criminal conspiracy to commit murder, and arson. He has been sentenced to 27½ to 60 years in prison. Harper previously pleaded guilty to aggravated arson and has been sentenced to 5 to 20 years in prison.
The cases were prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Christopher Phillips and Senior Deputy Attorney General Katherine McDermott.
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