Eighteen-year-old Dyheam Williams of Lindenwold will remain in custody until he can be tried for the murder of Shamrock Deli owner Jerry Pastore. Williams is expected to be arraigned February 19.
By Matt Skoufalos | January 9, 2020
Suspect wanted in the stabbing death of Shamrock Deli owner Jerry Pastore. Credit: CCPO.
The teenager accused of fatally stabbing the owner of an Audubon deli last week will remain in police custody pending his arraignment.
Dyheam Williams, 18, of Lindenwold, made his first court appearance Thursday since his arrest January 5 in the killing of Shamrock Deli owner Jerry Pastore, 57.
Williams, who was represented by Philadelphia attorney Brad Wertheimer, appeared in a blue jumpsuit, his head shaven and the wisp of a beard on his chin.
He looked straight ahead as Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Christine Shah read the charges against him: murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Wertheimer said his client would “consent to detention pending further proceedings.” Shah asked that officers be allowed to collect a DNA sample from the defendant while in custody, and produced a search warrant.
Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Christine Shah, speaks at the January 9 detention hearing of Dyheam Williams. TYGER WILLIAMS / The Philadelphia Inquirer / POOL
Pastore’s widow, Ethel, grimaced as the charges were read; other relatives, including the couple’s oldest son, James, were also on hand for the hearing.
The family declined to comment afterwards.
Judge Edward McBride said Williams would next face a pre-indictment hearing February 19, and could face a grand jury indictment within 90 days.
After the proceedings concluded, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office (CCPO) released investigation records that showed Pastore had been stabbed a dozen times during the encounter with his assailant, including twice in the liver and once in the neck.
His death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.
Williams is alleged to have entered the Shamrock Deli around 4:45 p.m. on January 3. Eyewitnesses said that he was there to check on the status of a previously filed job application, and was told that no decision had been made yet.
Williams then allegedly snatched a tip jar off the counter, sparking a confrontation with Pastore. The deli owner reportedly tossed a pot of chili at Williams, and then chased him across the street, where the two scuffled and Pastore was fatally wounded.
Pastore was evacuated from the scene and transported to the trauma center at Cooper Hospital in Camden, where he succumbed to his injuries a little after 5 p.m. that night.
James Pastore (far right) put an arm on his brother Matthew’s shoulder as they speak at a vigil for their father, Jerry. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
That led to the furious search for a suspect in the case; less than a day after a photo was circulated, Williams was arrested in his Lindenwold home.
According to police reports, he was identified by both his fingerprints on the deli tip jar and the information provided on his job application there.
Pastore is survived by his wife, five children, and three grandchildren.
On Monday, the Audubon community held a vigil in his memory. The West Berlin man was well-liked, and will be missed, neighbors said.
His sons, who spoke at the event, encouraged those who mourned their father to try to find peace from the tragedy.
“The last thing he would want is for anyone to feel vengeful and angry,” Matthew Pastore said. “The only way you can combat pain is with love.
“I would like something so bad to be a reminder that a lot of good can come from a lot of bad,” he said.
A fundraiser for the Pastore family has raised nearly $47,000 in the wake of the killing.
All people charged with a crime are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. An arrest is not a conviction.
