Man Gets Life In Prison For 2021 Killing: Philly District Attorney

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia authorities announced a guilty verdict in a 2021 murder case Monday.

Authorities Monday said Rodrick Williams, 25, was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder and related firearm charges in the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Michael Mines in April 2021 near the city's Cobbs Creek section.

On the evening of April 6, 2021, Williams — who investigators have linked to a violent street group — shot Mines multiple times in the head while the victim was in a vehicle on the 600 block of South 55th Street.

First responders pronounced Mines dead at the scene.

Investigators quickly linked Williams to the killing based on posts to his Instagram account depicting him holding the .22 caliber weapon used during the crime and to the fired cartridge casings found at the scene.

After obtaining Williams' cell phone, a Gun Violence Task Force analyst found additional evidence linking Williams to the murder.

Philadelphia Police also used cell site location data to place Williams in the area of the killing at the time of the shooting.

Investigators believe Williams killed Mines in retaliation for the fatal shooting of Williams' brother, even though law enforcement could find no evidence that Mines — who had no ties to any street groups — was involved in the sibling's murder.

Williams is also awaiting trial for an additional homicide and three non-fatal shootings. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for this murder last week by the Hon. Glenn Bronson.

"Thanks to Assistant District Attorneys Marianne Aguilar and Jeffrey Palmer of the Gun Violence Task Force for successfully prosecuting this tragic case," Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said. "Williams poses a clear danger to public safety, and thanks to cooperation between the Philadelphia Police Department and the GVTF, he will be held accountable for cutting short a young man's life. I also hope that this conviction assures families who are grieving during the holiday season and who are waiting for justice for their loved ones that this office, in partnership with our law enforcement partners, is doing everything we can to hold those who commit these violent crimes accountable."