Both men in custody have criminal histories
During a procession down Lehigh Avenue to Deliverance Evangelistic Church on Sunday to honor police officer Moses Walker Jr., it was announced that the second suspect wanted for his murder had turned himself in to the FBI.
Chancier McFarland, 19, was taken into custody by law enforcement personnel in Mobile, Ala. McFarland was wanted in connection with Walker’s murder, which happened on August 18. The man investigators say is the shooter, Rafael Jones, was arrested last week. Jones, 23, has been charged with murder, robbery, conspiracy and other counts.
The announcement came amid preparations for a solemn procession by police and public officials to take Walker’s body to Deliverance Evangelistic Church for a public viewing Sunday evening. Deliverance was Walker’s church, where he served as a deacon.
Court documents obtained by the Philadelphia Tribune show McFarland, from the 1400 block of North 23rd Street, uses the alias Charles McFarland. He was arrested for drug-related offenses on April 19 and had a hearing coming up in September on those charges. Jones, who also goes by the alias Rafael Manigault, has been through the justice system since he was 18, according to court documents. Those documents show Jones should have been on house arrest and wearing an ankle monitor at the time of Walker’s murder. He was arrested on October 16, 2007, and charged with aggravated assault, carrying a firearm without a license, terroristic threats and simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person. The charges were withdrawn.
On April 1, 2008, Jones was sentenced to two to four years in prison, followed by three years probation, after being found guilty of weapons offenses for an incident in January 2008. Court documents also show that he was arrested again on February 13, 2012, for robbery, conspiracy; illegal weapons offenses, theft and recklessly endangering another person — and again the charges were withdrawn.
The reason charges against Jones were withdrawn was because the victim never appeared in court, according to Tasha Jamerson, spokesperson for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
