Philly Hitman Gets 5 Life Sentences For 4 Murders, 1 Attempted Murder

PHILADELPHIA — A contract killer from Philadelphia was hit with several life sentences for his role in four murder-for-hire plots, federal authorities said.

Ernest Pressley, 43, of Philadelphia, was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences on one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and four counts of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire.

Authorities said he murdered four people in Philadelphia between 2017 and 2018, all in exchange for money.

Pressley also played a role in the killing of two other victims in 2016 and 2017 and the attempted murder of a woman in 2018, authorities said.

In late 2018, the Philadelphia Police Department joined with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate Pressley in connection with the murder of a person who was shot to death in the parking lot of a Philadelphia apartment complex near 7400 Malvern Avenue in the early morning hours of Sept. 1, 2018.

Pressley was seen on video near the scene, showing he was with the victim and several other men.

Pressley was arrested in connection with this crime on Sept. 7, 2018.

Further investigation revealed that Pressley was responsible for other murders in Philadelphia, including the killings of two tow truck drivers for A. Bob's Towing on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13, 2017.

Authorities said he agreed to kill a tow truck driver in exchange for money to prevent the driver from testifying as a witness at an assault trial in Philadelphia.

In an effort to distract law enforcement from the true motivation for the murder and to make it appear as though it was connected to a feud between rival tow truck companies, authorities said Pressley randomly chose one of the victim's co-workers and shot him to death as he left work on Jan. 12, 2017, near 4500 Melrose Street.

The next day, Pressley approached the target as he left his home and got into his tow truck, which was being driven by a coworker, and fatally shot the target and injuring his coworker.

Additional investigation led authorities to identify him as the person who shot another victim to death in Philadelphia on Jan. 11, 2017, near the intersection of East Sharpnack and Baldwin Streets, while the victim worked on his vehicle at a garage in the area.

Pressley later admitted that he murdered the four people in exchange for money and at the direction of a drug trafficker, according to authorities.

Around the time of each incident, Pressley used his cellphone to communicate with his co-conspirator to plan how and when each murder would be carried out.

Pressley also admitted to shooting another person to death on July 19, 2016, as the victim sat on the porch of a home near 1500 West Olney Avenue in Philadelphia.

And, he admitted giving the location of a person who was wanted dead by a Philadelphia drug trafficker, which later resulted in the death of a person, but was a case of mistaken identity near the intersection of 56th Street and Ithan Street on July 24, 2018.

Lastly, authorities said he admitted that he tried to kill a woman when he shot her in the arm as she got to her North Woodstock Street home in Philadelphia on July 9, 2018.

While the woman survived a gunshot wound, she later learned that her home had been ransacked and several items, including money and jewelry, were stolen.

Several hours later, Pressley a Rolex watch belonging to the woman at a Philadelphia pawn shop, according to authorities.