Jahmir Harris, 32, is a suspect in the Sept. 5 murder of local Philadelphia musician Charles “Charli Khan” Gossett, who was shot dead outside of a restaurant when two men allegedly driven by Harris opened fire, police said.
A Philadelphia man who was exonerated after being sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for first-degree murder is now a suspect in the killing of a local musician shot dead, police said.
Jahmir Harris, 32, was wanted in connection to the death of Charles “Charli Khan” Gossett, a 50-year-old producer, director, and community advocate who was killed outside of a restaurant when two men began firing at him, officials said. Authorities said they believe Harris drove the two shooters to and from the scene, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. He also allegedly approached Gossett on foot in the parking lot moments before returning to his car to drive the attackers, who remain unidentified, toward Gossett, officials told the Inquirer.
Surveillance footage captured Harris on the scene of Gossett's killing on Sept. 5, police said. Authorities on Friday announced that Harris had turned himself in, Fox29 reported.
Harris was released from jail last March after an unrelated first degree-murder conviction was overturned. He had been sentenced to life in prison in 2012, according to The Morning Call.
Harris had been convicted of killing Luis Porter, who he allegedly shot at 17 times after getting into a dispute over fake Percocet and money, The Morning Call reported. The altercation took place outside of a Walgreens while Porter's 5-year-old child was in a nearby parked vehicle, according to the news outlet. The child was not harmed in the shooting.
Harris's exoneration came after District Attorney Larry Krasner's Criminal Integrity Unit saw his case overturned and dismissed, according to The Morning Call. The DA’s office found that during the 2012 trial, Harris’s constitutional rights had been violated because information on another possible suspect had not been handed over to his defense council, according to Fox29.
"The facts alleged in the new arrest warrant for Harris have no bearing on the overturning of Harris’ 2012 conviction,” Krasner told Fox29. "Wrongful convictions warrant correction by the criminal justice system because they undermine confidence in the system, and because the actual persons responsible for serious and violent crime are not held accountable,” he said.
Jane Roh, spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office, told the Inquirer the office’s recent review of that case led prosecutors to believe Harris was “likely innocent.” That position has not changed based on the new allegations against him, Roh said. Porter's brother told the Inquirer that his family still believes Harris to be guilty.
