A man charged in the New Year’s Day death of a Frankford resident has been held for trial on murder, conspiracy, weapons, assault and related offenses.
Christopher Johnson, 30, was arrested Feb. 7 and charged in the fatal shooting of 47-year-old Gerard “Irish” Markert. Johnson’s preliminary was conducted May 9. He remains in custody and will be arraigned May 30.
Markert was shot several times in the back and neck at about 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 1 on the 4100 block of Orchard St., police said. He died while being taken to Temple University Hospital.
Markert’s death is connected to an auto accident that had occurred at Womrath Street and Frankford Avenue shortly before the shooting, police said. In the morning Markert died, a second cousin was involved in a traffic accident, said the victim’s sister, Eileen Horn. She said she learned that the occupants of the other car told the relative they wanted $1,000 when the cousin tried to exchange information after the accident.
She said the relative drove away, but the two other men followed him to the 4100 block of Orchard St. and tried to pull him out of his car. Markert, who lived on that block, saw that and raced to his relative’s aid. Horn said punches were thrown, but the fight broke up.
She said the other men drove around the neighborhood and then spotted Markert on another relative’s front step. One of them ran up to him, shot him three times with a .40-caliber handgun and then shot him again after he fell, she said.
Police are looking for the second man. ••
