Two men with connections to the Northeast have been charged with murder in the March 12 shooting deaths of two teenagers in a North Philly street, police said on Tuesday.
Authorities identified the gunmen as Christopher Lloyd Butler, 31, of the 1300 block of Filmore St. in Frankford, along with Zaiee Talbert, 26, of the 3100 block of Judson St. in the city’s Tioga section.
Talbert may have been staying with a girlfriend in the Northeast’s Academy Gardens section, according to a published report that cited police sources. Last week, police said Talbert’s last known residence was an address in Southwest Philly.
Butler and Talbert allegedly used an AK-47 assault rifle and a 9mm pistol to gun down Dexter Bowie, 17, and Johnathan Stokley, 18, as the victims rode an all-terrain vehicle on Ninth Street near Cambria Street shortly before 8 p.m.
At least 30 rounds were fired during the ambush, police said at the time. Both victims suffered multiple wounds of the head and body and died that night at Temple University hospital.
The ATV had been reported stolen from outside the city, said police, who have not disclosed the killers’ suspected motive. No injuries were reported to bystanders, although bullets reportedly struck homes on the street.
Butler and Talbert each are charged with two counts of murder, conspiracy, firearms violations and related offenses.
According to court records, authorities arrested Butler on May 4 inside the State Correctional Institution at Graterford, where he was already incarcerated for unspecified crimes. Butler’s most recent criminal conviction in Philadelphia was in 1999 for drug dealing and conspiracy. He was sentenced to six to 23 months in prison, plus 12 months probation. He has prior drug and auto theft convictions.
He was arrested three times from 2007 to 2010 for offenses including firearms and drug violations, as well as theft and “escape,” but all cases were later withdrawn.
According to a published report, police captured Talbert on Saturday hiding at the Lansford Street home of a girlfriend.
Court records show that Talbert was arrested at least seven times in Philadelphia from 2003 to ’06 and convicted in five of those cases of crimes ranging from drug possession and distribution to aggravated assault and firearms violations. In 2006, he was sentenced to serve two to five years in prison in a drug-related case. ••
