Jury Finds Jermaine Williams Guilty of Two Counts of Murder in the 1st Degree

Rochester, NY- On Thursday, March 5, 2026, a Monroe County jury convicted 25-year-old Jermaine Williams of two counts of Murder in the 1 st Degree and two counts of Murder in the 2nd Degree for the murders of Santina Jones and Timothy Chealey.

On May 6, 2024, at approximately 1:00AM, Rochester Police Officers responded to an address on Rialto Street for a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, 43-year-old Timothy Chealey was found deceased on the porch from gunshot wounds. A second shooting victim, 46-year-old Shatina Jones, was located and immediate rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital, where she died from her injuries.

After a thorough investigation, Rochester Police Detectives determined that multiple individuals were involved in an altercation at a concert earlier in the evening. Jermaine Williams, who was involved in the earlier conflict, drove to the house on Rialto Street and opened-fire on a porch with multiple people, killing Timothy Chealey and Shatina Jones.

Following the homicides, Jermaine Williams fled Monroe County. He was apprehended in Niagara Falls by U.S. Marshals Task Force and charged with the murders of Shatina Jones and Timothy Chealey.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Adam VanHeyst, Deputy Chief of the Major Felony Bureau, and Special Assistant District Attorney Emily Chisholm, of the Non-Fatal Shooting Taskforce.

“What should have remained a minor dispute at a concert turned into a calculated and cowardly act of retaliation,” said Assistant District Attorney Adam VanHeyst. “Jermaine Williams made a conscious decision to arm himself and open fire on a porch full of individuals— killing Timothy

Chealey and Shatina Jones, one of whom had nothing to do with the earlier altercation. This was not reckless confusion in the moment; it was a deliberate choice to answer conflict with murder. His complete disregard for human life has now resulted in two families forever changed. I want to thank the Rochester Police Department for their unwavering work in identifying, locating, and apprehending the defendant so he could be held fully accountable for his actions.”

“Today’s verdict delivers justice for Shatina Jones and Timothy Chealey, whose lives were senselessly taken in an act of violence,” said Monroe County District Attorney Brian Green. “This defendant made a deliberate decision to escalate a prior dispute into deadly gunfire, forever devastating two families and this community. I am grateful to Assistant District Attorneys Adam VanHeyst and Emily Chisolm for their hard work and prosecution and to the Rochester Police Department for their relentless work in bringing Jermaine Williams back to Monroe County to face these charges.”

Jermaine Williams will be sentenced on April 14, 2026, in front of Monroe County Court Judge Michael Dollinger.