In the early hours of a Friday in Harlem, the life of 18-year-old Walter Sumter was cut short by a single gunshot to the chest. The shooting occurred just after midnight on December 30, 2011, on West 154th Street, following a party that Sumter had attended with about 25 other people. He was discovered outside 254 W. 154th St. and was rushed to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Friends and those who knew him from the local Police Athletic League's Harlem Center, where he was a regular, remembered him as a 'well-mannered' young man.
The investigation into Sumter's death quickly pointed towards a bitter and violent rivalry between young residents of the Grant and Manhattanville public housing projects. Investigators explored whether the shooting stemmed from an altercation at the party. Early in the investigation, the brother of a murdered local basketball star, Tayshana 'Chicken' Murphy, was questioned as a witness but was subsequently released.
Ultimately, the investigation led to the arrest of Taylonn Murphy Jr., the brother of Tayshana Murphy. Prosecutors asserted that the motive for the killing was retaliation after Sumter had allegedly mocked the death of Murphy's sister in an online video. In response to the video, Murphy had reportedly posted 'Dead on sight beef.' Two weeks later, Sumter was killed.
Taylonn Murphy Jr., who was 20 at the time of his sentencing, was one of 103 individuals arrested in a massive gang raid in June 2014, the largest in the city's history at the time. While many of those arrested accepted plea deals, Murphy maintained his innocence and went to trial. In April 2016, a jury found him guilty of murder and conspiracy. In June of that year, Manhattan Justice Edward McLaughlin sentenced Murphy to 50 years to life in prison. During the sentencing, Sumter's father read a victim impact statement, expressing the profound loss his family had endured.
