DOYLESTOWN, PA — Nearly a decade after a Bristol Township man was gunned down on his 38th birthday, two Philadelphia men have been sentenced to lengthy state prison terms for their roles in his killing, closing one of Bucks County’s most haunting cold cases.
George Javon Clark, 34, and John Marquis Wilson, 45, were sentenced Friday for the 2016 shooting death of Herbert Lyals, a father of three who was killed outside his cousin’s home shortly after midnight on July 27, 2016.
Senior Judge Thomas C. Branca sentenced Clark — who was convicted in July after a weeklong jury trial — to 20 to 40 years in state prison. Wilson, who pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, robbery, criminal use of a communication facility, and conspiracy, received 16 to 32 years behind bars.
During the emotional hearing, Lyals’ family members described the lasting devastation his death caused. “The night that they took my son, they took a part of me with them,” his mother told the court.
Deputy District Attorneys Thomas C. Gannon and Chad Kovack prosecuted the case, telling jurors that Clark and Wilson targeted Lyals after hearing he had money. The men lured him outside his cousin’s Truman Street home under the guise of a visit — then attempted to rob him. During the confrontation, Clark fatally shot Lyals at 12:45 a.m., ending the life of a man prosecutors described as “a velvet teddy bear” — gentle, family-oriented, and loved by many.
Investigators pieced together a trail of cell phone records showing multiple calls between Lyals and Wilson that night, as well as a flurry of calls and texts between Wilson and Clark before and after the shooting. The evidence, prosecutors said, painted a clear picture of a planned robbery gone deadly.
The case was revived through an extensive re-investigation led by Bucks County Detective Eric Landamia and Bristol Township Detective Alex Asmann, with assistance from the Bucks County Investigating Grand Jury.
Bucks County District Attorney Gregory R. Bock praised the detectives’ persistence and the family’s courage throughout the years-long pursuit of justice. “It took nearly a decade, but the message is clear — Bucks County never stops seeking justice for its victims,” he said.
For Lyals’ loved ones, Friday’s sentencing marked the end of a long and painful journey — and a reminder of a life cut short.
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