A Northampton County jury convicted 27-year-old Zahmire Welcome of first-degree murder in the gruesome 2018 murder of 18-year-old Tyrell Holmes, whose body was found stabbed and set on fire outside an apartment complex.
Welcome of Whitehall was found guilty on Wednesday evening of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and kidnapping. The verdict was reached after over a week of testimony. Prosecutors stated that Welcome belonged to the “Money Rules Everything” gang, responsible for the cold-blooded killing.
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He faces a mandatory life term when he is formally sentenced on January 14, 2026.
“This was a brutal killing perpetrated by the defendant and his co-conspirators who are, one by one, being held accountable for their senseless, callous, and cowardly acts,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “This is not a day of celebration as Mr. Holmes was forever taken away from his loved ones, but we are hopeful the jury’s appropriate verdict offers a sense of justice.”
In April 2018, police discovered Holmes suffering from stab wounds to the neck and torso, with his body engulfed in flames beside a garbage bin. Investigators later discovered that he was still alive when set on fire.
Phone records, security footage, and witness testimony led authorities to believe Welcome and three other gang members—Alkiohn Dunkins, 26, of Easton; Yzire Jenkins-Rowe, 28, of Collegeville; and Miles Harper, 26, of Allentown—were responsible for the murder.
All three co-defendants were convicted. Dunkins was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life plus 23 to 50 years in prison. Jenkins-Rowe pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, conspiracy, and arson and was sentenced to 27½ to 60 years. Harper pleaded guilty to aggravated arson and is awaiting punishment.
Senior Deputy Attorneys General Christopher Phillips and Katherine McDermott led the prosecution of the case.
