Man convicted of killing Temple University student right after Thanksgiving 2021
Samuel Collington was shot and killed while returning to the North Philadelphia campus following Thanksgiving break.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The suspect accused of killing a Temple University student during a robbery back in 2021 was found guilty on Tuesday.
Latif Williams, 19, was convicted of third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and illegal possession of a firearm in the death of Samuel Collington, 21, of Prospect Park, Delaware County.
According to police, Collington was shot and killed while returning to the North Philadelphia campus following Thanksgiving break with his family.
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Authorities said he was unloading his SUV near the 2200 block of N. Park Avenue when Williams snuck up on him and a struggle ensued.
Collington was shot in the chest and back. He was taken to Temple University Hospital where he died of his injuries.
"The District Attorney's Office is grateful for the conviction of Latif Williams for this outrageous crime, which not only deeply impacted Mr. Collington's family and loved ones but affected the entire Temple University community. I again extend my deepest condolences for the terrible loss of a promising young man," said Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner in a statement.
Collington was a political science major who was set to graduate from Temple just weeks after the murder. His mother said he was a history buff and planned to help people by becoming a lawyer or politician.
Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1, 2024. The district attorney's office says he will also be tried for a separate carjacking of an elderly man, also in 2021.
