Jury finds Chester Bloods gang leader guilty in Christmas 2018 shooting. Now, prison.
A jury found a Bloods gang member — who was involved in the 2014 murder of a Chester City Council member — guilty of attempted murder in an unrelated 2018 shooting, court officials said.
After a four-day trial in Chester County, a jury on Friday found Quinton Tywan McClinton, 31, guilty of shooting Kochese Gregory in Chester in 2018, 6th Circuit Solicitor Randy Newman said.
McClinton shot Gregory during a fight outside a Christmas Day party, Newman said.
McClinton was sentenced to 25 years in prison by South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Derham Cole, records show.
“This conviction has been a long time coming,” Newman said after the jury verdict. “This defendant, McClinton, has been a menace to this community of Chester for years. This is a victory for the people of Chester.”
In 2016, McClinton was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and accessory to murder for his role in the 2014 killing of Chester City Council member Odell Williams.
In the 2014 homicide, McClinton and other Bloods gang members plotted an armed robbery of rival gang members before Williams chased them through the streets of Chester, previous court testimony showed. Williams was a retired officer with the Chester Police Department.
The shooter in the Williams case, Christopher Moore, was convicted of murder and is serving life in a South Carolina prison.
During trial testimony in 2016, McClinton was identified as a leader of the gang.
McClinton had only been out of prison for a few months when the 2018 shooting happened on Christmas Day, officials said.
Gregory recovered after being shot, according to trial testimony this week.
6th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Candice Lively prosecuted the 2018 shooting case that was investigated by Chester County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Chester Police Department officers and State Law Enforcement Division agents.
McClinton is a documented member of the Roundtree Circle gang of Chester that is affiliated with the Bloods, Lively said.
“A dangerous documented gang member is off the street and in prison,” Lively said after the trial. “This was a case where the community won. Justice was served and the people of Chester County are the winners.”
A second defendant was also convicted this week for his role in the 2018 shooting, prosecutors said. Montrell Lamar Graham, 23, was convicted of accessory after the fact, prosecutors said. Graham was sentenced to five years in prison, court records show.
