‘No one wins here’: 2 men sentenced to life with parole for 2024 murder of man in Chatham County

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - ‘No one wins here.’ That was the message from a Chatham County Superior Court Judge as he handed down two life sentences for a 2024 murder in Chatham County.

It’s a case we’ve followed from the beginning, and WTOC was the only news station in the courtroom today.

Vershad Ervin, 19, and Brandon Jones, 27, were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole plus 5 years for the killing of Phillippe Moore inside of an apartment.

A Chatham County jury had found the two men guilty on multiple charges connected to the February 2024 shooting death of Phillippe Moore on Johnny Mercer Boulevard, following a trial recently.

Ervin and Jones were both acquitted of malice murder but convicted of multiple other felony charges.

Ervin was found guilty of two counts of felony murder, criminal attempt to commit robbery, aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Jones was found guilty of two counts of felony murder, criminal attempt to commit a felony, one count of aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Jurors found Jones not guilty on a second aggravated assault count and not guilty of first-degree cruelty to children.

“The arrests and convictions in this case are the result of excellent investigative work by our detectives,” Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said. “The expertise of our Criminal Investigations Division and Forensic Unit ensured that we had solid evidence that allowed a jury to understand the roles of the defendants in this murder and bring justice to the victim’s family.”

According to the Chatham County Police Department, officers responded to an apartment complex in the zero block of Johnny Mercer Boulevard around 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, for a report of shots fired.

Officers arriving at the scene found an adult male suffering from life-threatening gunshot wounds. The victim, identified as 22-year-old Phillippe Moore of Savannah, was transported to a hospital, where he later died.

Moore was killed in an attempted robbery during a tattoo appointment.

Prosecutors say he was an artist and giving one of the suspects, Ervin, a tattoo, while the other suspect waited in the car til the robbery began.

The victim’s sister was in the apartment at the time, and reportedly ducked behind a couch as the shots went off.

Ervin was arrested March 14, 2024. Jones was arrested 2 days prior.

Sentencing: life with possibility of parole plus 5 years

Both men were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole plus 5 years.

Judge Middleton of Chatham County Superior Court presided. Today the judge saying to all 3 families -- no matter how many times he sentences people, it never gets easier.

Judge Middleton said he’s at a loss for words. “2 individuals who shouldn’t be in this courtroom, and an individual that shouldn’t be dead. There are no winners today. We are not supposed to be here today yet here we are.”

Each family also got on the stand and spoke about the impact this tragic death has caused in their lives.

Now Ervin and Jones will go to a classification prison now to determine where they will serve their life sentences.

Moore’s sister: “I think about that every day”

First Philippe Moore’s sister got up on the stand. She spoke about how her brother liked art and nature, was a tattoo artist, and was a soft, sweet, gentle person. He was 22 when he died. She thinks about that day every single day.

In her testimony, she described being there that day:

“In the moment, everything really just happened in the blink of an eye. It was just so fast. Like, it literally, it felt like it was 10 seconds. It was just so fast, yet so loud, yet so scary. Like, I just remember trying to run out of my house and I couldn’t. And then I just kind of ran back to my living room.”

The prosecutor asked if the events of that day ever come up, if she ever thinks about those when she’s alone: “I think about that every day. Like, it’s literally not a day go by, like literally every single day. Not a day go by that I don’t think about that day.”

On her brother ‘Moose’’s aspirations in life, what he wanted to do in life: “He wanted to keep going with his tattoo career. He was finally going to get his own space, his own everything. Like, he really just wanted to keep tattooing. That was his dream. That was what he was making his money off. That was his, his passion. He was very good at it.”

As a brother, who was he the prosecutor asked... “As a brother, he was one of my main protectors, and he was one of the persons that I really went out to. We grew up together. It was always me and him. You know, whenever your mom had more than three kids, it was always that duo. And I know we were six years apart, we were literally that duo. I was very much young, but was always just us.”

Moore’s mom Angie: “None of us have been the same since”

Then his mom got on the stand saying out of her 4 kids, Philippe was her most gentle child. He played instruments, loved cooking, and drawing.

She says their family been torn apart since because they were close with Vershad’s mom before this. Saying technically, they are family. Referencing her grandmother and Ervin’s mom’s grandfather were married before the boys were born.

“My baby was one of one. And I have four children altogether. But he was, and anyone who knows me, I’m just not saying this because he’s not here, but he was my, he was always my most gentle child. He was the one that, no matter what was going on, like I could call him anything. Like he always made sure I was okay.”

“Thanksgiving’s coming up, my prep cook is not here.... And I have to remember that this is for real. nd it took me a long time to understand, like, this is real. Like, this is actually happening. My baby never going to walk through the door again. I’m never going to get grandkids.”

Defendants’ families ask for life with parole

Jones dad got on the stand next, saying this is shock for him, his son was honor roll student, he came from a structured military family, wasn’t raised this way.

Then Jones grandpa got up there who is a former military and long time cop in Georgia -- saying he never thought he’d be in the courtroom speaking on behalf of his grandson. “No one wins.. Please don’t close the door forever on my grandson.”

Then his aunt got on the stand and was emotional, which made Jones emotional. She gave major condolences to the victims family repeatedly and asked for life with parole.

Ervin’s mom got on the stand next saying everyone makes mistakes, no one’s perfect, that this has cause division and blaming in their family. She also said that her son is young and has kids of his own, and this has upset her deeply.

We were not allowed to record the defendant’s family’s statements at all.

Prosecutor’s closing argument at sentencing

The prosecutor thanked the defendants’ family members who got up and expressed heartfelt condolences and sorrow for Philippe Moore’s family, saying it speaks well of them and speaks well of the people who raised the two defendants and tried to instill values in them that, had they been taken, maybe court wouldn’t be happening.

“But that’s not what happened,” the prosecutor said, arguing the defendants were surrounded by people who loved them, people who taught them how to make good decisions, yet they were convicted of murder.

Laying out the state’s theory of the decisions that led to the killing, the prosecutor argued both defendants chose to get into Jones’ car that day and head from the direction of Westlake over to the Windsor Forest area, that Jones chose to turn off his phone or put it in airplane mode once in the vicinity of the victim’s apartment, and that Ervin chose over weeks and months to engage in back-and-forth conversation with the victim in which Ervin said he wanted to get a tattoo and wanted to trade guns — which the evidence shows was a lie and was not their purpose for going over there.

The prosecutor argued Ervin and an unknown third person went inside and began getting the tattoo while Jones stayed in the car for a while with his phone off because he had a role — he was the getaway driver — and that movement in and out, including the door being locked by the victim’s sister and then unlocked by the third person, was indicative of everyone having a role: Ervin set it up, the third person made sure the path was clear so Jones could come in and kick off the robbery.

Jones came in with what sounded like two guns based on testimony, at least one of which matched the caliber of rounds found inside the apartment, knowing they were there to steal guns and commit robbery, the prosecutor argued.

“Neither defendant meant to kill Philippe Moore. While they certainly meant to set him up for a robbery, they certainly meant to break into the apartment with guns. They certainly knew that the victim had guns because that’s what they were there to steal,” the prosecutor said, summarizing the defense argument and the state’s position on intent.

They’ll be transferred to the classification facility now to await their final prison destination.