Man Charged With Murder During Group Fight Rejects Plea Deal

A Burlington County man accused of fatally shooting a 27-year-old man during a fight between two groups of people last year has rejected a plea deal from the state and will head to trial. Anthony M. Harris, 31, of Beverly City, has been indicted on single counts of murder in the first degree, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree certain persons not to have weapons in the death of 27-year-old Ronald Walker, of Florence.

Harris rejected a plea deal in which he would have served 27 years in prison, the Burlington County Times reports. He would have been required to serve 85 percent of his term before becoming eligible for parole. His trial is slated to begin on March 6. If convicted, he faces 30 years in prison for the murder charge, and 10 years for each weapons charge.

Police say Harris shot Walker on Sept. 21, 2016, when his group went to Zinc Street in Florence. Zinc Street is an alley that runs between Second and Third streets. Walker was taken to Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County, where he was pronounced dead at 8:21 p.m. that night. An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined that Walker died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Harris was arrested on May 23 in an apartment on West Trenton Avenue in Falls Township, Pa., as part of an initiative targeting violent criminals with outstanding warrants, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

He was arrested by officers from the Burlington County Sheriff's Department Warrant Unit, the Florence Township Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, the Pemberton Township Police Department, the United States Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Willingboro Police Department. Assistance was provided by the Mercer County Sheriff's Department.

Harris was processed by the Falls Township Police Department on a Fugitive From Justice warrant and taken to the Bucks County Jail in Doylestown Township, PA, where he was lodged on $500,000 bail. He was then extradited to New Jersey and was detained in the Burlington County Jail.

The attached image of Anthony Harris was previously provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office