In a violent series of attacks occurring over a 12-hour period in Newark NJ, four (4) people were killed and two (2) more people were injured.
So far this year, Newark has been besieged by a wave of violence. The city’s homicide total has already reached 82, up from 72 at this same point last year. The total number of homicides could surpass 100 for the first time since 2007.
According to Newark police, the four (4) people killed in the recent attacks were targeted. The Newark police director described the murders as “premeditated.”
Two (2) of the victims were found dead inside their South 11th Street home. According to law enforcement sources, 54-year-old Ruby Green and her 64-year-old boyfriend were stabbed and beaten inside the apartment. The boyfriend was pronounced dead at the scene, while Ms. Green died at University Hospital in Newark.
That same day, 38-year-old Dana Andre Pridgen was gunned down on West End Avenue. According to police, Mr. Pridgen was shot by multiple assailants while sitting inside a parked car. Police believe that Mr. Pridgen was trying to reclaim his former drug territory in the weeks leading up to the shooting.
Later, 22-year-old Irvington resident Jahid Jordan was shot and killed on South Orange Avenue. Police believe that Mr. Jordan was killed in connection with a drug dispute.
In New Jersey, homicide is addressed by N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3. The statute classifies homicide as a first degree criminal offense. In any of these recent cases, if the suspect is caught and convicted of first degree felony murder, he or she could be sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of imprisonment of 30 years before gaining parole eligibility.
For more information, see the NJ.com article entitled “Four Killed, Two Others Wounded During 12-Hour Wave of Violence in Newark.”
