The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office has confirmed that charges against a teenage boy implicated in the 2022 fatal assault of a 73-year-old man with a traffic cone in Philadelphia have been dropped. The incident, which led to the death of James Lambert, saw the then-14-year-old boy, Richard Jones, along with another teen, being charged with murder.
Now 16, Jones had surrendered to the police in July 2022 following the attack that involved a group of juveniles. Court documents reveal that the charges against Jones have been dismissed, a development that has prompted the DA’s office to file a notice of appeal to the Pennsylvania Superior Court.
The case had drawn significant attention, partly because both teens involved in the fatal beating were charged as adults, highlighting the gravity of the crime. The attack occurred in the early hours of June 24, 2022, when Lambert was crossing Cecil B. Moore Avenue near North 21st Street.
According to police reports, Lambert was confronted by a group of seven juveniles near a basketball court and was attacked after questioning why they were out at such a late hour. The assault, captured on video, involved the use of food, fists, and a traffic cone as weapons, leading to Lambert being knocked to the ground and sustaining fatal head injuries. He was later transported to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.
The video footage released by the police showed the presence of four boys and three girls, all believed to be in their early to mid-teens, participating in the attack. Following the incident, several teens, including Jones’s 10-year-old brother, surrendered to the authorities. While the 10-year-old and a 13-year-old girl were released without charges, the case against Jones has taken a different trajectory with the recent dismissal of charges.
The family of James Lambert has been vocal about their grief and disbelief over the senseless nature of the attack. Lambert’s niece, Tania Stephens, expressed her inability to comprehend the violence inflicted by teenagers on an elderly individual without any apparent motive.
As the case unfolds, the specific reasons behind the dismissal of charges against Richard Jones remain undisclosed, leaving many questions unanswered. The DA’s office’s decision to appeal adds another layer of complexity to a case that has already captured the community’s attention and sparked discussions about juvenile crime and its consequences.