SAN ANTONIO – More than seven years after 4-year-old De-Earlvion Whitley was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting, the final defendant in the case is set to go to trial.
John Chatmon, who has been in Bexar County jail since his 2020 arrest, is charged with murder alongside three others in connection with Whitley’s death, records show.
His trial begins Tuesday, with jury selection.
On July 19, 2017, more than 60 shots were fired into the East Side home where Whitley lived with his parents and brother. Whitley was struck in the head and died from his injuries.
Three years after the shooting, Chatmon, Terrell Chase, Quentin Phillips and Todd Hill were arrested and charged with murder, according to court documents.
The COVID-19 pandemic delayed proceedings, and while the cases for the other defendants have been resolved, Chatmon’s trial was postponed further after he requested a new attorney earlier this year.
The other defendants faced varying outcomes.
Chase’s murder charge was dismissed, but he was sentenced to life in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Phillips received a 70-year sentence after being found guilty by a jury in 2023, while Hill took a plea deal and was sentenced to eight years on the lesser charge of felon in possession of a firearm.
Chatmon faces up to life in prison if found guilty.
Opening statements are expected either Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning in the 437th District Court. Judge Joel Perez will be presiding.
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