2 suspects plead guilty in killing of Philadelphia Police Sgt. James O'Connor

WPVI logo
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 6:45PM
6abc Philadelphia 24/7 Live Stream
Watch the 6abc Philadelphia 24/7 stream featuring Action News, AccuWeather and Entertainment

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Two suspects charged with murdering Philadelphia Police Sgt. James O'Connor have pleaded guilty in federal court.

Those suspects, Hassan Elliott and Khalif Sears, entered the pleas on Wednesday morning.

Two other suspects in this case, Kelvin Jiminez and Dominique Parker, will head to trial.

All four were charged in connection with O'Connor's killing in March of 2020.

Sgt. James O'Connor
Sgt. James O'Connor

He was shot while a SWAT team was serving a search warrant on the 1600 block of Bridge Street in Frankford.

Sgt. O'Connor was a 23-year veteran of the police force and served on the SWAT unit for 15 years. He was a corporal at the time of his death and was posthumously promoted to sergeant.

O'Connor was married to his high school sweetheart, Terri. They raised two children: his son James, the 6th district police officer, and daughter Kelsey, who is in the Air Force.

O'Connor and his wife welcomed their first granddaughter five months before he died.

His funeral was delayed nearly two months due to restrictions on public gatherings put in place during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nearly two months after giving his life in the line of duty, a funeral service was held Friday morning for Philadelphia Police Sgt. James O'Connor IV.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.