Judge sets October trial date for trio accused in Pottstown slaying
NORRISTOWN – A judge has set an October trial date for three Philadelphia men accused of roles in the fatal shooting of a man in Pottstown during a botched marijuana robbery.
Ahmed Mohammed, 17, of the 4700 block of Valley Place, Samir Bentley, 20, of the 1600 block of North 16th Street, and Daijon Naseer Harrison, 23, of the 2100 block of North Woodstock Street, will face a jury during a joint trial that will begin on Oct. 10, according to an order signed by Montgomery County Judge William R. Carpenter.
All three men recently waived their formal arraignment hearings in county court and entered pleas of not guilty to charges of first-, second- and third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery, possessing an instrument of crime and firearms not to be carried without a license in connection with the alleged Oct. 23, 2021, fatal shooting of Robert Stiles, 27, in the 400 block of East High Street in Pottstown.
Bentley, Harrison and Mohammed, who was 16 at the time of the incident and was charged as an adult because of the violent nature of the crime, will remain in the county jail without bail while awaiting trial.
Carpenter scheduled pretrial hearings for July 21.
Prosecutors Lauren Marvel and Lindsey Mills are handling the case. Defense lawyer Matthew Quigg represents Bentley and defense lawyer Joshua Rudolph represents Mohammed. Harrison is represented by defense lawyer John Sung Jin Han.
A conviction of first- or second-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. A conviction of third-degree murder carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.
A fourth man, Eric Baker, 26, of the 300 block of West Poplar Street, Norristown, is awaiting trial on assault- and weapons-related charges for allegedly firing an assault-style weapon at Bentley, Harrison and Mohammed as they fled in a vehicle after the fatal shooting of Stiles.
The investigation began at 8:26 p.m. Oct. 23 when Pottstown police were dispatched to the 400 block of East High Street for a report of a shooting and found Stiles lying on the sidewalk, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to a criminal complaint filed by county Detective Jamie Lavin and Pottstown Detective Brooke Hatfield.
Stiles was pronounced dead at 11:32 p.m. at an area trauma center.
Several minutes after the shooting, police were dispatched to a crash at North Washington and Beech streets involving a white Toyota Corolla and a black Nissan Altima. Witnesses reported observing four people running from the Nissan and described one of the subjects as having dreadlocks and carrying a long gun, according to court papers.
A 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun was recovered from the Toyota and a Pennsylvania ID update card belonging to Baker was found in the Nissan, authorities said.
Detectives reviewed camera surveillance footage from the 400 block of East High Street that recorded video and audio from the shooting.
“In reviewing the video and audio detectives observed the victim, Robert Stiles, was the victim of a robbery at the time he was shot,” Lavin and Hatfield alleged in the criminal complaint.
Detectives alleged the video recording depicted Stiles standing in the block when he allegedly was grabbed by Mohammed, who pulled Stiles into the “cut” at 439 E. High St. Witnesses could be heard on the surveillance recording claiming Stiles was being robbed and gunned down, according to court papers.
As Mohammed and the victim are in the “cut,” Bentley and Harrison approached, detectives alleged.
“Harrison can be seen removing a handgun from his waistband and handing it to Bentley. One single gunshot can be heard fired from the ‘cut,’ followed immediately by three more gunshots that are fired by Bentley. The victim can be seen falling to the ground…,” detectives wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Detectives alleged Mohammed, Bentley and Harrison fled to a dark-colored minivan that was parked nearby. Detectives recovered a cellphone that was dropped as the shooters fled and the phone’s background photo depicted Bentley, authorities alleged.
According to court papers, as the minivan pulled away, Baker, wearing a hooded sweatshirt embossed with a “Glock” emblem and sporting shoulder length dreadlocks, is observed on video surveillance firing an assault rifle at the minivan as it flees.
As Stiles is lying on the sidewalk, he can be heard on the audio saying, “I’m shot, I’m shot, Bro I’m shot, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me,” according to court papers.
Stiles also can be seen discarding a clear plastic bag, throwing it several feet from where he was laying.
“This bag was later recovered at the scene and found to contain multiple ounces of marijuana,” Lavin and Hatfield alleged.
An autopsy determined Stiles died from multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was ruled homicide. A forensic pathologist noted a bullet entrance wound on Stiles’ back above his hip, which exited on the left side, and a bullet entrance in his stomach area, above the right hip.
“The projectile from this wound lodged in the victim’s spine and was recovered,” detectives wrote in the criminal complaint.
Detectives processed the scene of the shooting and recovered three .45-caliber fired cartridge casings, one 9mm fired cartridge casing and seven .22-caliber fired cartridge casings, according to court papers.
The .45-caliber casings were recovered from the area where Bentley fired the handgun, detectives alleged. The 9mm casing was recovered in the “cut” area where the initial gunshot was heard and the .22-caliber casings were recovered from the sidewalk where Baker fired the assault-style rifle, according to the criminal complaint.
After the shooting, a white Toyota Corolla pulled up to the scene and a passenger exited the vehicle, detectives said. The vehicle then pulled away, traveling east on High Street in the westbound lanes and turned left onto Washington Street.
Video surveillance also depicted a black Nissan Altima, which had been parked in the area of the shooting, and immediately after the shooting the Nissan was observed fleeing the scene westbound on High Street.
Detectives believe that the two vehicles are the same vehicles that collided with each other at North Washington and Beech streets minutes later.
Police and detectives subsequently identified a 2011 Chrysler Town and Country minivan, allegedly used as the getaway vehicle by Bentley, Harrison and Mohammed, and discovered that it had been reported stolen in Philadelphia on Oct. 13 during a gunpoint robbery, according to court papers. The minivan was later found abandoned with a flat tire in Royersford and was towed from a location across from the Wawa store on Main Street, according to the criminal complaint.
“On the driver side of the vehicle there were three obvious bullet holes,” detectives said.
Surveillance video from the Wawa store depicted Bentley and Mohammed entering the store at 8:50 p.m., a little more than 20 minutes after the murder, where they purchased food and then left at 9:04 p.m., according to court papers.
View more on Mainline Media News