Chihean Jones, also known as “Cha,” was sentenced on Mar. 24 to life in prison for the murder of a gas station attendant during an armed robbery, according to United States Attorney David Metcalf. United States District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge also sentenced Jones, 41, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to concurrent 20-year sentences for two commercial robberies committed in the city.
The sentencing follows Jones’s conviction by a federal jury in November of last year on charges including two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, murder while using and carrying a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The crimes took place at a cell phone store on East Olney Avenue in August 2022 and at a gas station on Torresdale Avenue in January 2023.
Court records show that during the August incident, Jones drove two men to rob the cell phone store before fleeing with them. In January 2023, he planned another robbery with his girlfriend and two other men at the Torresdale Avenue gas station. When their initial plan did not work as intended, they entered the store where Jones shot the attendant as he tried to escape. The group then stole from the victim while he lay dying.
“The defendant shot an unarmed man in the back because it was easier than chasing after him,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “He and his crew then pawed through the victim’s pockets, as he lay dying. In the face of such senseless violence and casual cruelty, this life sentence is richly deserved. We are all safer with Chihean Jones behind bars.”
Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Philadelphia Field Division said: “Chihean Jones committed a horrific and cowardly act when he shot and killed an innocent victim simply trying to make a living…the ATF Philadelphia Field Division will continue to work tirelessly to ensure justice for the victims and to make our communities safer from dangerous criminals like Jones.”
The case was investigated by local police along with federal authorities.
