In the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia on the afternoon of February 23, 2016, a 28-year-old man named James Walke III was brutally murdered. He had just left his mother's home after sharing a heartfelt hug and an exchange of 'I love yous.' Walke was walking down West Seymour Street, reportedly with his earphones in and his head down, on his way to meet a friend who never arrived. It appears someone was waiting for him.
Surveillance footage captured a man, described as a heavy-set, dark-complexioned Black man who walks with a slight limp, approach Walke and shoot him multiple times. The suspect, dressed in all black with a hood obscuring his face, fired as many as 13 shots before fleeing the scene. First responders rushed Walke to Temple University Hospital, but he succumbed to his numerous gunshot wounds about half an hour later.
In the years following the senseless killing, James Walke III's family, particularly his mother, Yullio Robbins, has tirelessly fought for justice. They have organized marches, distributed fliers, and spoken to the media to keep his unsolved case in the public eye. Robbins has expressed the profound and unending nightmare her family has endured since his death, emphasizing that her son was a hardworking man who loved his family and left behind two young sons.
Despite the existence of surveillance video showing the suspect, no arrests have ever been made in the case. The Philadelphia Police Department has continued to investigate, and a $20,000 reward is being offered for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for James Walke III's murder. His family continues to plead for anyone with information to come forward, hoping that someone's conscience will lead to a break in the case and finally bring them a measure of closure.
