Philadelphia, PA – District Attorney Larry Krasner announced on Monday that a Philadelphia jury convicted Deandrade Jeferson of robbery, conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime, and violations under the Uniform Firearms Act for his role in an attempted carjacking in 2022.
Investigators revealed that on the evening of February 27, 2022, Jeferson and two co-conspirators approached a teenage girl’s vehicle in Northeast Philadelphia while she was double-parked outside a residence. The victim, driving home from a Valentine’s Day event at her local church, had two other teenage girls in the car.
Jeferson tapped a firearm on the driver’s side window and discharged it, leaving a bullet hole in the car door. The victim and her passengers fled the scene.
Jeferson was arrested in June 2022. Investigators believe he and his associates were involved in multiple carjacking incidents, specifically targeting people of Brazilian descent who may be undocumented.
Assistant District Attorney Kenzie Johnson secured a guilty verdict using testimony from the survivor and forensic evidence, including a handprint on the driver’s side window. The jury deliberated for only a few hours before delivering their verdict. Jeferson is scheduled for sentencing on August 9 before Judge Monica Gibbs.
“I applaud the skillful prosecution of this case by Assistant District Attorney Kenzie Johnson,” said DA Krasner. “Undocumented people in our city are often preyed upon by criminals who exploit their fear of law enforcement. While the victim in this case is a U.S. citizen, this is not always the case. We want all immigrant communities to know that we want to hear from you if you’ve been the victim of a crime. You should not have to live in fear.”