Guilty Plea On Federal Murder Charges In 2011 Drug Heist

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — A Yonkers man has now entered a guilty plea in connection to a March 2011 drug robbery and murder.

The charges stemmed from a March 18, 2011, case in which Marcus Chambers and his codefendant Darnell Kidd murdered Jonathan Johnson by shooting him during the course of an armed robbery for marijuana in White Plains, according to federal prosecutors. Chambers arranged to purchase the marijuana from Johnson over the phone, but when the pair met with Johnson, they instead robbed him of marijuana. During the robbery, Johnson was shot and killed.

The high profile murder case was solved through the collaboration of more than a dozen law enforcement agencies, including the White Plains Police Department and the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, which is made up of agents and task force officers from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Probation Office, New York State Police, New York City Police Department, Mount Vernon Police Department, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Ramapo Police Department, Yonkers Police Department, Greenburgh Police Department, Peekskill Police Department, Westchester County Police Department, and Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.

"In March 2011, Jonathan Johnson was shot dead, the victim of senseless drug-related violence," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. "Marcus Chambers has now admitted to participating in the murder while robbing Johnson of marijuana. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our law enforcement partners, Chambers now faces significant prison time for this terrible crime."

The crime was prosecuted in federal court under the Hobbs Act. Chambers will be sentenced in March, by U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román.