Killer of Off-Duty Officer Sentenced to Life in Prison

Rafael Jones (left); Moses Walker (right)

The man convicted of killing an off-duty Philadelphia Police officer in 2012 was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday after a dramatic hearing.

Rafael Jones, now 25, killed officer Moses Walker Jr. early the morning of August 18, 2012. The Fraternal Order of Police had urged off-duty members to attend today’s sentencing hearing in large numbers.

“The sentence of Rafael Jones followed a dramatic and emotional hearing in which one of Walker’s fellow officers was reduced to tears as he testified that he felt he let Walker down because he was unable to save Walker’s life after being sent to the scene of the shooting,” KWY reports. “Today, Walker’s mother testified that her life has been a living hell since that day. And she told Jones directly, ‘I hope you rot in hell.’”

Jones was convicted of Walker’s death in December. A co-defendant, Chancier McFarland, pleaded to murder and robbery charges in June.

“Jones violated parole and should have been in jail at the time of Walker’s murder, according to investigators. A parole officer and two supervisors were fired over the supervision of Jones, who failed a drug test days before the slaying. They have fought to regain their jobs, saying they were scapegoats,” NBC 10 adds. “A federal lawsuit filed by Walker’s family blaming the parole board for his death was dismissed by a judge, but Walker’s mother said she planned to appeal.”