When the trial opened Monday, Hawkins, who has a tattoo on his neck that reads "Killa," was smiling at friends and relatives in the courtroom.
Detective William Urban testified that he saw Hawkins near the scene of the slaying moments after the 3:15 p.m. shooting, smiling and laughing with a gun in his hand.
Yesterday, Assistant District Attorney Mark Gilson said that Starling, who was standing with friends after school in the 1900 block of Snyder Avenue when he was killed in a burst of gunfire, "did absolutely nothing to deserve this."
"The evidence was overwhelming that Tyrik Hawkins and Tauheed Sadat conspired to shoot someone," Gilson said. "Clearly, Daniel Starling was an innocent bystander."
Hawkins, who was described in court as the shooter, faces 35 to 70 years in prison, and Sadat, who drove the getaway car, faces 30 to 60 years in prison, Gilson said. Sentencing was set for Aug. 1.
The only witness to testify yesterday was Assistant Medical Examiner Gregory McDonald, called by the prosecution.
McDonald said that Starling died of a gunshot to the left arm that penetrated his chest and struck his heart and liver, causing significant blood loss.
Hawkins waived his right to testify, and his defense attorney, Fortunato Perri Jr., declined to call any witnesses.
Sadat also declined to testify. His lawyer, Daniel Green, told Minehart that there was no evidence that Sadat knew that a shooting was going to take place.
Green told the judge that Hawkins and another man jumped into Sadat's car after the shooting and that a frightened Sadat sped off before crashing the car into a chain-link fence nearby.
Gilson said two witnesses, Derrick Horn, 18, and Darnell Yarborough, 21, had indicated to police that Hawkins was the gunman but testified in court that they did not recall what happened.
"It's difficult to go outside the code of the street," Gilson said, "the code of not snitching."
Gilson described Starling as "a young man with a promising future."
He said Starling was wearing his school uniform of khaki pants and a sport shirt. He had a few bus tokens and 60 cents in his pockets when he was killed, the prosecutor said.
Doretha Starling, mother of the slain boy, praised Gilson's "hard work to prove my son was killed and they were responsible and will pay with time in jail."
She decried the violence that has gripped the city in the last few years.
"The most important thing is our children and keeping them safe on the street," she said.
Contact staff writer Vernon Clark at 215-854-5717 or vclark@phillynews.com.
