State Attorney Dave Aronberg has announced four murder convictions in the past week, including three trial verdicts. It’s a historic round of success for the office’s
homicide unit, which was made possible by the outstanding work by homicide detectives from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the West Palm Beach Police Department.

Here’s a rundown of the cases:

• A jury found Anthony Jamal Williams, 27, guilty of killing Jake Duchene, 17, during a 2012 robbery in West Palm Beach. Jurors also convicted Williams of an attempted
  murder charge. He was 16 at the time of the shootings. Sentencing will be this fall. Assistant State Attorneys Reid Scott and Aleathea McRoberts prosecuted the case.
  Co-defendant Tyrie Theophile was tried and convicted in 2015; he is serving a 45-year sentence.
• A jury convicted Roberto Ortiz, 23, of the 2017 murder of Aaron Rajman, 25, west of Boca Raton. He also was found guilty of two counts of home invasion robbery with a firearm. Ortiz now faces a mandatory life sentence at a hearing Oct. 21. Assistant State Attorneys Marci Rex and Emily Walters prosecuted the case. Murder trials for three co-defendants are pending.
  A jury found Jonathan Major, 39, guilty of the 2019 murder and attempted robbery of Saeed Wallace, 31, in Lake Worth Beach. Major now faces a mandatory life sentence to be imposed Oct. 11. Assistant State Attorneys Francine R.A. Edwards and Diva O’Bryan prosecuted the case. A murder trial for a co-defendant is pending.
• A circuit judge sentenced Yasir Jackson, 24, to 40 years in prison for the 2017 murder of Joseph Bilella, 34, in Wellington. Assistant State Attorney Jo Wilensky
  negotiated the plea on the charges of second-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.

“These important murder convictions are a credit to law enforcement for building strong cases, and to our prosecutors for their tireless work over several years to obtain
justice,” Aronberg said. “My hope is that by holding these killers responsible, our streets are safer and there is a measure of closure for the families of the victims.”