Man Charged With Murder In 2011 Killing of Norristown Teen: DA

Norristown, PA -- A man has been arrested in the 2011 murder of a teenage boy in the borough, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office announced Friday.

Ryan Lee, 23, was arrested and charged with murder and related offenses in the 2011 killing of Ray Dawkins, the DA said.

It's not the first arrest in the case. In March of this year, Omar Terrell Massenburg, 23, was also arrested and charged with murder by the DA's office.

“We never let this case go cold. There was work being done on this murder throughout these five years,” said DA Kevin Steele said in March. “A lot of investigative efforts have gone into this case to get us to the point now where we are able to make an arrest and do justice for Ray Dawkins and his family.”

Police had previously stated that Dawkins may have been the victim of a robbery gone wrong on that night in 2011. When Dawkins resisted, he was shot. This has not been confirmed by the District Attorney's office.

The incident occurred on the night of March 18, 2011. An officer responded to a report of people fighting just after 10 p.m.

As he approached down West Elm Street, two vehicles traveling north on Stanbridge Street crossed in front of him, causing him to slam on his brakes.

Media reports at the time suggested that one of those vehicles could have contained the killer. Dawkins was found shot and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Dawkins was popular in school, according to reports, and was a member of the JROTC at Norristown Area High School. He was buried in his uniform.

In 2012, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office offered a $5,000 reward for any information that led to an arrest.

Homicide investigators told the Times Herald at the time that they “felt sure” someone in the community knew the identity of the killer, and asked the public’s help in bringing the killer to justice and easing the suffering of Dawkins’ family: his mother, Dawn Dawkins, and his four sisters, Dominique, 23, D’Yanad’Vonda, 21, D’Lia, 16, and Devyn, 13.

A preliminary hearing for Lee is scheduled for July 27.

Image courtesy Montgomery County DA's Office.