Judge Finds Men Guilty in Easton Triple Murder

Four years ago, a group of men with guns came from New Jersey to an apartment house on North 13th Street Easton, intent on revenge in a gang conflict.

When they left, three people were dead: Alphie Rene, 20, Chanel Armour, 23, and Aleah Hamlin, 19.  

Two men have already been convicted in their deaths: Ali Davis, of Freemansburg, who was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in 2009, and Edward Gray, of East Orange, N.J., who pleaded guilty last year, and was sentenced to 13-26 years in prison.

Now, the final two defendants in the worst murder case in Easton's history have been found guilty.

Northampton County Judge Stephen Barratta ruled Thursday that Olayiwola Hollist and Demar Edwards were guilty of first degree murder for their roles in the triple-homicide in November 2007.

According to the Morning Call, Barratta made his ruling after hearing testimony from witnesses identifying Edwards, 32, and Hollist, 28, as the shooters.

The defendants had sought a bench trial -- before a judge, rather than a jury -- last week, and prosecutors agreed not to . Under Pennsylvania law, anyone convicted of first degree murder recieves an automatic sentence of life in prison.

Defense attorneys had argued that the witnesses called by prosecutors couldn't be trusted, according to the Express-Times.