Two Philadelphia men have been sentenced to lengthy state prison terms for their roles in the 2016 killing of 38-year-old Herbert Lyals in Bristol Township. The sentencing took place on November 14, 2025.
George Javon Clark, 34, was previously convicted by a jury in July of third-degree murder. Senior Judge Thomas C. Branca sentenced him to 20–40 years in state prison. His co-defendant, 45-year-old John Marquis Wilson, pleaded guilty the same day to third-degree murder, robbery, criminal use of a communication facility, and conspiracy. Wilson received a 16–32 year state prison sentence.
During the hearing, Lyals’ family delivered emotional victim-impact statements. His mother expressed profound grief, telling the court, “The night that they took my son, they took a part of me with them.” Lyals, a father of three, was killed on his 38th birthday.
The case dates back to July 27, 2016. Prosecutors said Clark and Wilson went to Truman Street that night with the intention of robbing Lyals after hearing he had money. Deputy District Attorneys Thomas C. Gannon and Chad Kovack presented evidence showing that Clark fatally shot Lyals during the robbery attempt. Gannon described Lyals as a gentle man and a devoted father, calling him a “velvet teddy bear.”
Phone records played a key role in the case, showing multiple calls between Lyals and Wilson, as well as numerous communications between Wilson and Clark before and after the killing. Investigators determined that Lyals was shot at 12:45 a.m. after stepping outside his cousin’s home, where he had been celebrating his birthday.
The case was solved through extensive investigative work by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and Bristol Township Police Department, with assistance from the Bucks County Investigating Grand Jury. Detectives Eric Landamia and Alex Asmann led both the original 2016 investigation and the renewed effort that ultimately resulted in charges.
