A suspect who was already in custody for allegedly shooting and killing a man during a robbery outside a Popeye's Chicken was charged in the murder of the pregnant girlfriend of his alleged accomplice.
On Thursday Markese Martin, 26, was charged with the murder of Jasmine Williams, the subsequent death of her unborn child and the attempted murder of Williams' boyfriend.
Martin was initially charged in the shooting death of 42-year-old Kenneth Woods. On September 23, 2014, Woods was shot in the chest in the parking lot of the Popeye’s Chicken on the 4200 block of Broad Street.
Woods was taken to Temple Hospital by an unidentified civilian and was later pronounced dead.
Homicide investigators issued a warrant for Martin for the shooting death of Woods. They also issued warrants for his alleged accomplices in the fatal robbery, 20-year-old Megan Jones of Blue Bell, Pa. and 26-year-old Kord Rozier of the 1300 block of E. Price Street.
A day after the fatal robbery, Rozier and his pregnant girlfriend, 25-year-old Jasmine Williams, were both struck in a shooting on the 1600 block of W Nedro Street. Williams, who was 8-months-pregnant with Rozier's child, was taken to Einstein Hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Doctors delivered her baby girl but the infant later died at the hospital. Rozier survived the shooting and received treatment at Temple University Hospital. He was later arrested and charged in Woods' death.
Police later identified Martin as the gunman who shot Williams and Rozier. Family members told NBC10 Martin tried to kill Rozier because he planned on surrendering to police in connection to the Popeye's shooting. They also believe Williams was an innocent bystander.
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Martin was later arrested and charged in the shooting deaths of both Woods and Williams.
