Two taken into custody, one remains at-large from June, 2012 incident
Three city men were charged Tuesday in the killing of another man, shot to death while playing video games in his home. From left, Dominique Lee, Marquis Rayner and Camren Horne. Horne and Rayner were custody at Chester County Prison while Lee remained at large as of Tuesday evening.
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
COATESVILLE — Three city men were formally charged with the June, 2012 slaying of Dominique Williams — a man murdered in his home while playing video games with a friend — Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said late Tuesday. Two of the men were taken into custody, but one remains at large.
Marquis Rayner, 23, Dominique Lee, 20, Camren Horne, 20, all city residents, were formally charged Tuesday with entering a city home and shooting Williams while he played. Rayner and Horne were arrested early Tuesday in what authorities described as “pre-dawn raids.”
Lee remains wanted and is at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Chester County Detectives at (610) 344-5100 or the city police department at (610) 384-2300.
The arrests came on the heels of a lengthy investigation by city and and county investigators, law enforcement officials said.
“This was a complex, grind-it-out investigation,” Hogan said in a prepared statement. “We used state-of-the-art technology and old-fashioned police work to bring charges against these three defendants. And we’re not done yet.”
According to the charges, the three suspects entered a residence on June 29, 2012 at 744 Merchant Street in the city. The criminal complaint said that the three were all wearing black t-shirts or other black wrappings around their heads. Two of three men, authorities say, were carrying guns.
According to the complaint, the first man through the door — immediately shot the victim, who was playing video games with a friend. The alleged assailant is reported to have yelled “where’s it at?” The second man through the door, also armed, authorities said, confronted a witness at the scene, striking him with his gun.
The two men, authorities said, then entered a back bedroom and allegedly grabbed a jar containing marijuana and other items. All three suspects then fled, the complaint said.
Police were able to recover the jar and the black t-shirts a short distance from the Merchant Street home. Williams was pronounced dead of the single gunshot wound at Paoli Hospital.
According to the complaint, Rayner was linked to the homicide from DNA on the recovered t-shirts, while Lee was linked to the crime from a fingerprint found on the jar. Horne, authorities said, was tied to the incident based on statements he is alleged to have made to another witness in the case.
The three have been charged with homicide, robbery, conspiracy and related offenses. Bail was denied to Rayner and Horne by District Justice Gregory Hines and both were remanded to the custody of Chester County Jail. Lee remains at large.
All three face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
“This was an outstanding investigation by the Chester County Detectives and the Coatesville Police Department,” Hogan said. “We are continuing to bring unrelenting pressure to bear on criminals in Coatesville. We will keep it up to make sure that the good citizens of Coatesville and the rest of Chester County remain safe.”
The case has been assigned to Assistance District Attorney Carlos Barraza.
The investigation was conducted by the Chester County Detectives, the city police department in cooperation with Chester County Sheriff’s Department, the State Police/ U.S. Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
