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Essex County Prosecutor's Office
Serving the People of Essex County, NJ
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Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced today that Estol “Hector” Molina, 42, of Newark has been arrested for the murder of Erica Ortiz-Fuentes, 36, also of Newark. Ortiz-Fuentes, a mother of four, was fatally stabbed in the neck by Molina as she entered The Newark Preschool Council, located at 74 St. Francis Street…
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced today there was a multi-alarm fire at 108 South 8th Street in Newark last night. Three tenants – a man and two women – were rescued from the second and third floors. All were pronounced dead at the hospital. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.…
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced today that an eight-year sentence was imposed on Elise Munafo, 24, of Kearny for running down another woman outside a Newark night club. The Honorable Sherry Hutchinson-Henderson, J.S.C, sentenced Munafo to five years for second degree aggravated assault for which she must serve 85 percent of the…
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced that Nicholas Welch, 25, of East Orange has been arrested for the murder of 19-year-old Seton Hall student Jessica Moore of Disputanta, Va. Welch was arrested at approximately 9:05 p.m. yesterday at his South Clinton Street home which is just down the street from the crime scene.…
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced today that an Essex County Grand Jury returned a four count indictment charging Preye L. Roberts with attempted murder and weapons charges. Roberts, 24, of Nutley is accused of shooting Fairfield police officer Gerald Veneziano multiple times on January 30, after aggressively following the off-duty officer to…
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced today that Craig Scott, 24, of Newark was sentenced by the Honorable Michael L. Ravin, J.S.C. to two consecutive life sentences for killing 15-year-old Naeem Jackson and 17-year-old Joel Ferguson, both of Newark. Scott was sentenced to 150 years plus six months for a simple assault on…
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced that his office, along with the Newark Police Department are investigating the homicide of Barron M. Weir, age 27 of South Orange, NJ on September 21, 2010. Newark police responded to the area of 40 Salem Street in the city’s Vailsburg section at approximately 8:30 p.m. and…
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced that Melvin Jovel aka “Cholo” plead guilty today to three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and two weapons charges before the Honorable Michael L. Ravin. Jovel, 21, of Elizabeth admitted murdering Iofemi Hightower, 20, Dashon Harvey, 20, and Terrance Aeriel, 18. He also pled…
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino today announced that Vernon Parker, 37, of West Orange has pleaded guilty to official misconduct related to the aggravated assault of a prisoner. In an unrelated case, Parker also admitted to endangering the welfare of a child for physically abusing his teenage stepdaughter. Appearing before the Honorable Ronald…
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced today that Rakeem Gartrell was sentenced yesterday to 37 years in state prison for the murder of his former girlfriend Latoya Thomas and her parents. On Feb. 13, 2008, Gartrell murdered Thomas, 22 of Irvington, the mother of his daughter, and her parents, Leroy Cooper, 66, and…
