A Philadelphia man awaiting trial for a fatal 2024 hit-and-run was convicted Thursday of retail theft in a Montgomery County courtroom. Marvin Anthony Wicker, who turned 41 the day of the verdict, was found guilty of retail theft, receiving stolen property, and evading arrest on foot after two shoplifting incidents at a Target store in Plymouth Township.
According to prosecutors, Wicker stole Apple AirTags from the Target on Chemical Road on July 1 and July 8, 2024. Surveillance footage played for jurors during the one-day trial captured him in the act. The jury deliberated for just one hour before delivering the guilty verdict.
Judge Wendy G. Rothstein deferred sentencing pending a pre-sentence investigation report. Wicker could face probation or several months in jail under Pennsylvania’s sentencing guidelines.
Assistant District Attorney Paul Pruitt, who prosecuted the case, emphasized the impact of retail theft on businesses and consumers. “It was all recorded, it was all there for [the jury] to see,” he said after the verdict.
Wicker’s legal issues extend beyond the retail theft conviction. He is currently awaiting trial in Philadelphia on charges of homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death, and involuntary manslaughter in the death of 14-year-old Dawn Watson. Prosecutors allege Wicker struck the teen with a Mercedes-Benz on Sept. 26, 2024, in West Philadelphia and fled the scene. He was apprehended by U.S. Marshals two weeks later.
Following Thursday’s conviction, Judge Rothstein ordered that Wicker remain in custody at Montgomery County Correctional Facility. He had previously been held at the Philadelphia jail pending trial in the hit-and-run case.
Wicker is also facing DUI and careless driving charges stemming from a July 10, 2024, traffic stop in Lower Merion. Police said he was driving at a high speed on East Lancaster Avenue and that officers detected the smell of burnt marijuana. His license was reportedly suspended at the time, and toxicology results confirmed marijuana in his system.
As Wicker was escorted from the courtroom, he declined to comment on the pending homicide case. A sentencing hearing in the retail theft matter is expected in the coming weeks.
