Man Found Guilty of Murdering Philadelphia Police Officer

The man who killed Philadelphia police officer Moses Walker was found guilty in a bench trial today. His accomplice already pleaded guilty.

Rafael Jones (left); Moses Walker (right)

Rafael Jones (left); Moses Walker (right)

There has been a guilty verdict in the shooting death of Philadelphia police officer Moses Walker. Today, judge Jeffrey P. Minehart found Rafael Jones guilty of murder. Jones had agreed to a bench trial in exchange for prosecutors dropping the possibility of the death penalty.

Jones faces a mandatory life sentence without parole for the murder conviction, though he was not sentenced today.

On August 18th of 2012, Jones and Chancier McFarland hung around the outskirts of Temple University looking for someone to rob. McFarland testified the pair targeted Walker, dressed in athletic gear, because they thought he was a Temple student. McFarland pleaded guilty in June and cooperated with prosecutors, testifying against Jones.

Walker had left the 17th District at around 5:30 a.m. the day he was slain. Walker drew his weapon when Jones and McFarland attempted to rob him and was shot to death. A plaque in his honor was unveiled last year.

Moses Walker, a 19-year veteran of the force, was 40.

[Inquirer]