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Breon D. McRae, 34, of Morrisville, PA, and Pacqi S. Lassiter, 29, of Trenton, New Jersey, were each sentenced to 40 to 80 years in state prison for conspiring to kill Clifton “CJ” Burgess-Williams Jr., 26, on Dec. 22, 2022, prosecutors said. McRae received an additional 4 ½ to 9 years for witness intimidation, bringing his total sentence to 44 ½ to 89 years.
Both men were convicted by a Bucks County jury in February following a two-week trial.
Burgess-Williams was sitting in a parked car on Lenora Avenue with his sister, brother, and friend when eight shots were fired into the vehicle, authorities said. The investigation revealed that he was targeted for attempting to defend his sister, who had been beaten and strangled by McRae just days earlier.
After a verbal confrontation at McRae's home on Dec. 22, McRae called Lassiter, his cousin, who drove from Trenton to pick him up. Surveillance footage and cellphone data showed the two men heading to Lenora Avenue, where shots rang out at 8:39 p.m. Burgess-Williams, who saw the gunman and yelled for everyone to duck, was shot and later died at the hospital, officials said.
During sentencing, Judge Charissa J. Liller told the victim's family that Burgess-Williams was a hero for saving the lives of the other passengers in the car.
Deputy District Attorney Chad R. Kovack emphasized that McRae had never taken accountability or shown remorse for the murder.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors presented testimony from more than 20 witnesses, law enforcement, and forensic experts, as well as hundreds of pieces of evidence, including physical evidence, video surveillance, and cellphone data.
Jurors found McRae and Lassiter guilty of third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit possession of an instrument of crime, conspiracy to commit reckless endangerment, and three counts of reckless endangerment. McRae was also convicted of terroristic threats and simple assault. In separate cases, he was convicted of witness intimidation, strangulation, simple assault, and harassment.
On Friday, McRae and Lassiter were also sentenced to one to two years for each of the three reckless endangerment charges related to the other victims in the car. McRae received an additional three to six years for the strangulation case. Those sentences will run concurrently with the murder and conspiracy sentences.
The investigation was led by Bucks County Detectives Timothy Johnson and Dante Montella, with assistance from the Bucks County Investigating Grand Jury. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Chad R. Kovack and former Deputy District Attorney Megan K. Stricker.
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