Ruling in Castor
Gardens beating

Kwok Wai Ho walked alone along his block on his usual early evening stroll. Teenager Marcquis Walker-Williams was out looking for a "body" to rob, authorities say.
Ho, 69, didn’t survive their chance encounter on July 10. Last week, Walker-Williams, 17, was ordered to stand trial as an adult for beating the Castor Gardens man to death on the 1300 block of Greeby St.
Walker-Williams remains in prison, because defendants charged in capital cases are ineligible for bail. The general murder charge facing Walker-Williams includes first-degree and third-degree offenses.
According to Assistant District Attorney Leon Goodman, Walker-Williams was among a group of six or seven "loose acquaintances" who crossed paths with Ho at about 7:40 that evening.
Someone heard the defendant say, "We got a body!" according to witness testimony at the July 25 preliminary hearing.
The other youths, some as young as 13, kept walking, Goodman said.
But Walker-Williams stopped and put the victim in a choke hold, a witness said. The off-balance victim then fell to the ground and banged his head on the sidewalk. A female witness screamed, then the boys scattered.
Ho died a week later in an area hospital from head injuries. Police identified and arrested Walker-Williams on July 20 after Ho’s family had posted a $1,000 reward for information about the crime.
"Mister Ho just happened to be there. It was one of those crimes of opportunity," Goodman said. "It was random violence in its purest form."
Authorities believe that Walker-Williams intended to rob Ho, but nothing was taken from the victim. None of the other youths are accused of conspiring in the attack or aiding the defendant after the fact.
Walker-Williams was charged initially as an adult, as is typical for homicide cases. ••