In the early evening of November 7, 2017, a violent home invasion in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, ended the life of 33-year-old Shawn Graham. Two men, later identified as Paul R. Heath, 27, and Jameir R. Hines, 25, both of Philadelphia, forced their way into Graham's residence on West Third Street around 6:30 p.m. During the course of the robbery, Graham was shot in the abdomen. A woman in the home at the time was restrained with duct tape by Hines after he took her phone.
She managed to escape her restraints and was then forced upstairs by Hines to search for valuables.
A neighbor, alerted to the unfolding events, called the police to report two men forcing their way into the home. As the neighbor approached the house, the two assailants fled. Heath escaped in a rented white Dodge Challenger, while Hines fled through an alley. A responding Williamsport Bureau of Police officer spotted and stopped the Dodge. As the officer approached, Heath exited the vehicle and opened fire, wounding the officer in the arm.
This initiated a high-speed chase along Route 220. The pursuit ended at a gas station in Woodward Township, where Heath, after exchanging more gunfire with police, fatally shot himself in the head. The subsequent investigation, aided by a hotel room key and a cellphone found on Heath's body, led police to identify Jameir R. Hines as the second suspect. Video surveillance from a hotel in Montgomery showed both men with the Challenger. Cellphone records placed Hines in the vicinity of the crime scene on the day of the murder. Eleven days after the homicide, police apprehended Hines in Philadelphia.
Jameir R. Hines eventually pleaded guilty to charges related to the robbery and homicide. He claimed he was unaware of his accomplice's intention to shoot Shawn Graham. In January 2020, Hines was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in state prison. As part of his sentence, he was also ordered to undergo mental health, drug and alcohol, and anger management assessments.
