Man Sentenced For Murder; Charges Remain For Cinnaminson Man

CINNAMINSON, NJ — A Pennsauken man has been sentenced to 19 years in state prison for his role in the fatal shooting of a Burlington City man last year, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced on Friday. Charges are still pending against a Cinnaminson man who was also indicted in the murder of 30-year-old Eric Thomas II.

Irie Y. Simmons, 19, previously pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree aggravated manslaughter. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Simmons admitted that he 19-year-old Xavier Myers, of Cinnaminson, approached Thomas at about 10:40 p.m. on Saturday night, Jan. 21, 2017, near the intersection of East Broad and Library streets in Burlington City, Coffina said.

After the shooting, Myers and Simmons fled the scene, but were captured by police in the area a short time later. Thomas was taken to Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro, where he was pronounced dead at 11:29 p.m.

Myers and Simmons were arrested within hours of the shooting. Myers still faces one count of third-degree aggravated assault, and is considered innocent until proven guilty.

Three of the Simmons’s relatives and a friend addressed the court at the sentencing on his behalf. The Thomas family wrote a seven-page letter to Judge Cook, but did not attend the sentencing, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. Simmons wrote a letter to the court in which he apologized to the Thomas family and also stated, “I am more than the monster that the newspaper and Prosecutor claim.”

The case was prosecuted by Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Douglas J. Bligh. The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Burlington City Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. The lead investigators were BCPO Det. Michael Reagan and Burlington City Police Det. Bill Ruskowski.

See related: Cinnaminson Man Indicted In Fatal Shooting: Prosecutor

The attached image of Irie Y. Simmons was provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office