Convicted of first-degree murder for murdering his cousin in Bristol Township, a 40-year-old man was sentenced on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, to life in prison without parole.
David Joseph Jenner was found guilty during a 2-day waiver trial in August of killing 43-year-old Charlie R. Thomas Jr. Thomas was stabbed eight times during the attack on Dec. 19, 2021, at 605 Veterans Highway in Bristol Township.
Jenner was also found guilty during his trial of stabbing Thomas’s mother who was attempting to protect her son. He was also found guilty by Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley of aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime.
Prior to being sentenced, Jenner had several outbursts in the courtroom. Finley then sentenced Jenner to life for killing Thomas and a concurrent sentence of 20-40 years for the attack on Thomas’s mother.
During the August waiver trial, Bucks County Deputy District Attorneys Marc J. Furber and Sarah K. Heimbach presented hundreds of exhibits, including the murder weapon, crime scene photos, and body cam footage from Bristol Township officers that showed police and emergency responders valiantly attempting to save Thomas’s life.
A forensic pathologist testified during the trial that Thomas was stabbed eight times and the fatal wound was five inches deep to the left side of his chest, which punctured his lung and caused massive bleeding.
.Bristol Township police located Jenner on the front porch of the home, along with a large kitchen knife with a bloody 8-inch blade.
Residents who lived in the home testified during the trial and prosecutors presented cellphone video taken by one of them that showed the defendant swinging a knife and yelling at the residents who were attempting to calm him down. Shortly after the video was shot, Jenner stabbed Thomas.
“The defendant, after committing this horrific killing and leaving a mother without her son, compounded his crimes by creating a completely false narrative when he testified at trial,” Furber said. “Even at sentencing, he continues to try to sully the reputation of the man he killed in cold blood. But the evidence was clear. The Defendant was solely responsible for this killing and his attempts to place the blame elsewhere have failed.”
“I hope that Charlie Thomas’ family can finally find some peace in the fact that the dfefendant will never again pose a threat to members of our community.”
This case was investigated by the Bristol Township Police Department and Detectives with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber and Deputy District Attorney Sarah K. Heimbach, with assistance from former Deputy District Attorney David A. Keightly Jr.
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