Three members of a former Strawberry Mansion street group have been sentenced to serve several decades in prison for their roles in three homicides and several other shootings, District Attorney Larry Krasner said Monday.
Dontae Sutton, 21, Jamir Brunson-Gans, 22, and Elijah Soto, 20, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and other charges and were sentenced last month, Krasner said. They were part of the "Big Naddy Gang" accused of committing a string of shootings in 2021 and 2022 that left five people dead.
Last June, Krasner declared the street group "history" after a grand jury investigation led to charges against eight people. They included Sutton, Brunson-Gans and Soto, who each had been arrested in 2023.
Those three men pleaded guilty to killing Chaundra Jones, a 24-year-old woman who was gunned down Sept. 29, 2021 at 33rd and Diamond streets. The men allegedly had been hired by Jahlil Williams — a member of the Omerta street group — to kill someone at the 7th Star Lounge in exchange for $10,000.
Prosecutors said they followed three women as they left the club and fired at least 49 shots into their vehicle. But they opened fire on the wrong vehicle, killing Jones and injuring two other women, realizing their error the next day, prosecutors said.
Sutton, Brunson-Gans and Soto also fatally shot Jordan Murray, 19, on Sept. 6, 2021 on the 2200 block of West Huntingdon Street, after a dispute on Instagram, Krasner said. Sutton and Soto were involved in the death of Jarrick Jenkins, who was shot and killed on Sept. 18, 2021, on the 2900 block of West York Street, too, he said.
"While we cannot save the victims in this case, I'm confident that BNG would have continued their shooting spree until investigators made them stop," Assistant District Attorney Joe Lanuti said at a press conference Monday.
Soto, who pleaded guilty to charges from three homicides and two non-fatal shootings, was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison.
Sutton pleaded guilty to charges stemming from three homicides, five non-fatal shootings and two carjackings, prosecutors said. He was sentenced to 40 to 80 years in prison.
Brunson-Gans, who pleaded guilty to charges for his involvement in two homicides and three non-fatal shootings, was sentenced to 35 to 70 years in prison.
Soto, Sutton and Brunson-Gans and were 16, 17, 18, respectively at the time of the homicides, prosecutors said.
"These three defendants who got these sentences were young guys who, rather than being mentored in a positive way, were manipulated by an older guy," Krasner said, referencing Williams.
Williams, now 26, was among eight Omerta members indicted in July 2024 on federal charges of murder in aid of racketeering, racketeering and other offenses. The Omerta street group is closely aligned with the "Zoo Gang," a larger street group. Federal prosecutors said Omerta used social media, music, and music videos to promote themselves, recruit members, brag about their violent acts and insult rivals.
