Jameel Murray

Jameel Robert Murray, known affectionately to friends and family as "Mill" or "Rapper," was a 28-year-old man from York, Pennsylvania, remembered for a smile and a personality that seemed larger than life. Born in York on August 4, 1990, he was a beloved son and brother with a deep passion for music. His life was abruptly and violently ended on the evening of Wednesday, September 26, 2018, in a double homicide that also claimed the life of 15-year-old Dezmen Jones.

Around 8 p.m. that evening, York City Police responded to reports of a shooting on the 600 block of West Princess Street. In the backyard of a residence at 613 W. Princess Street, they found Jameel Murray deceased. An autopsy would later reveal he had been shot multiple times. Dezmen Jones, a freshman at William Penn Senior High School, was also found at the scene with a gunshot wound to the torso. He was rushed to York Hospital but succumbed to his injuries at about 9 p.m. The deaths of both Murray and Jones were officially ruled homicides by the York County Coroner.

The investigation, led by the York City Police Department, quickly uncovered a sequence of events that began shortly before the shooting. According to detectives, Murray and a 16-year-old named Luis Joshua Vicente-Ramirez met near Eby's Market. Security footage from the market showed Vicente-Ramirez in the area with Murray and Jones, along with two other teenagers. Witnesses told police that the group walked to the fenced-in yard where an argument erupted between Murray and Vicente-Ramirez, allegedly over a crack-cocaine deal.

The confrontation escalated into a physical fight. One witness heard someone, believed to be Vicente-Ramirez, demand, "Give me my money." Police allege that Vicente-Ramirez went through Murray's pockets before gunfire broke out. The other teens fled after the first shot, then heard a pause followed by a second series of gunshots. Investigators recovered 20 spent 9mm shell casings from the backyard. Crucial evidence was found gripped in Jameel Murray's hand: a black Sean John T-shirt that police said matched the one Vicente-Ramirez was seen wearing on surveillance video just minutes before the killings.

On September 28, 2018, the York City Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for Luis Joshua Vicente-Ramirez, charging him as an adult with two counts of criminal homicide, carrying a firearm without a license, and possession of a firearm by a minor. Police, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, searched for the teen, who was considered armed and dangerous and had ties to several other states. A reward was offered for information leading to his capture.

On the evening of October 16, 2018, York City Police arrested Vicente-Ramirez on the 300 block of East Cottage Place and took him into custody without incident. Following his arrest, he was expected to face prosecution for the murders of Jameel Murray and Dezmen Jones. A preliminary hearing was held in December 2018, where a detective testified about the evidence linking Vicente-Ramirez to the crime scene, including the T-shirt found in Murray's grasp.

In the wake of the tragedy, friends and family mourned the loss of two lives. Jameel's loved ones remembered his constant smile and vibrant presence. A friend who grew up with him in the Fireside neighborhood said, "He was a good guy, he was a real good guy... everybody knew him." A fundraiser was established to help his family with memorial service costs. The case against Luis Joshua Vicente-Ramirez proceeded in the legal system after his arrest, but the final outcome of the charges against him is not detailed in publicly available news reports or records. Anyone with information about the homicides was asked to contact the York City Police Department at their tip line, 717-849-2204, or by texting "yorktips" to 847411 (TIP411).